Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix
by Rider Paladin
Summary: Reposted: Is it possible for creatures born from evil to become good? Zordon has no choice but to test this theory on the Psycho Rangers when an evil force comes to Earth bent on draining its vital energies.
1. Psycho Rising

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book One: "Twisted Rebirth"

Chapter 1: "Psycho Rising"

Disclaimer: Power Rangers is not mine in any way, shape, form, or capacity. It originally belonged to Saban Entertainment, but they gave it to Disney after PR Time Force. Any characters you recognize from Power Rangers, Zordon and the Psycho Rangers in particular are not mine. The humans who inherit their powers and spirits are mine, though.

Author's note: After seeing reruns of the Psycho Ranger saga on ABC Family, I've become interested in the idea of seeing the Psychos redeem themselves. This is how I figure they might get their chance.

Ages: Kieran Grayson, 17; Darien Kyle, 16; Liam O'Connor, 16; Kaitlyn Blackwell, 17; Faith Darkchilde, 16

Timeline: This story is set in the Ninja Storm period, but don't expect any crossovers.

Five years ago, the Space Rangers were the latest Ranger team to defend Angel Grove. During that time, they fought one of the toughest battles they'd ever fought. That battle was against the Psycho Rangers, evil counterparts to the Space Rangers whose only goal was to destroy the Space Rangers. One by one, they were defeated, until in a spectacular battle, Psychos Red, Black, and Yellow were destroyed.

The Psycho Rangers returned briefly, when they used Astronema's digitizing device to restore their physical bodies. For their effort, they were digitized into data cards. One year later, those data cards were retrieved by a new menace to the universe Trakeena. She used a digitizing machine to restore the Psycho Rangers, after redesigning them so that they were even stronger. She sent them to attack her nemeses, the Galaxy Rangers, but the Psychos were defeated when the Galaxy Rangers received help from the then-retired Space Rangers.

That last battle happened four years ago.

And this is now.

Kieran Grayson was in his father's dojo, practicing his karate katas. Since he was seven years old, his father had been teaching him martial arts. His mother hadn't liked the idea at first, but his father assured her that he wasn't teaching his son how to beat the crap out of people; he was teaching him how to defend himself so he wouldn't have to. That was the point of martial arts: knowing you _could_ beat the crap out of another person and having the discipline not to.

"Good, Kieran," his father's voice said from the doorway. Kieran spun to face him, never pausing once in his katas. "However, you could use a little more fluidity in your motions. It's good to be fast, but you must allow yourself to flow like water and not even think about it."

"So that's it?" Kieran asked. "I'm putting too much thought into my moves?"

"Yes," his father said. "True, you must put thought into your moves, but in a real fight, your best weapon is your instinct. You must learn to trust that instead of thinking about your moves. For thinking leads to hesitation, no matter how brief, and hesitation can spell defeat for you."

"So, what you're saying is, 'Do not think, be,'" Kieran translated.

"Where'd you get that from?" his father asked.

"A fortune cookie," Kieran replied, smiling wryly.

"Funny," his father said dryly. "I'll see you at dinner."

* * *

Darien Kyle was doing his homework while listening to Korn. 

_Night! So I play._

_Give me a sign this is day._

_Give me some patience, so I pray._

_It's time to die. Is that what I want?_

As he was thumping his foot to the rhythm of the song and doing his homework, he heard a knock on the door.

"Darien, turn it down!" his mother shouted from behind the door.

Darien sighed in annoyance. His mother was such a bitch. She never seemed to approve of anything, whether it was his taste in music, in clothing, or even in friends. She wouldn't let him have friends over because she thought they were too "punk" for her liking.

Darien had laughed outright when she'd said that. For starters, it was actually "Goth." Second, who the hell did she want him to hang out with, those stupid preps who thought they were so great? Of course, his laughing had earned him a stern "I'm serious, Darien" from his mother.

_Fuck her,_ he thought. Who was she to tell him who he could and couldn't associate with? The way Darien saw it, the kids he hung out with actually had something between their ears.

Sighing again in annoyance, he shouted over the music, "Ok, Mom!" He hooked his headphones up to his computer and slipped them on over his ears, turning the music up full blast. _That ought to drown her out._

* * *

Liam O'Connor was at a ski resort, snowboarding. The mountains were a fun place for him, a place that was practically a playground. At least, it was a playground to someone with his experience. He launched himself off a mountain and did a somersault in midair before landing on the slope. 

When he was finished, he returned to the lodge and hung up his board.

"Did you have fun out there?" his girlfriend Sophia asked.

"Yeah," Liam replied. "A boatload."

Sophia replied with a kiss on his lips. Liam returned the kiss eagerly. When they parted, he smiled. "How did I ever end up with someone like you?"

"Should I feel flattered, or insulted?" Sophia asked coyly.

"Flattered," Liam replied. "You understand me, and you're always there for me no matter what I get myself into."

"I wouldn't be a good girlfriend if I weren't," Sophia said, just as coyly.

"And I wouldn't be a good boyfriend if I didn't do the same for you," Liam said.

* * *

Kaitlyn Blackwell was playing her guitar, like her friend Eden, while their mutual friend Lana beat the drums, Mia played the keyboard, and Catrina sang. 

The five of them did this a lot. Every day after school when they got the chance, they'd get together in Kaitlyn's garage and play music. They mostly performed at the local clubs, and did it for fun and enjoyment, not to get rich. Besides, Catrina liked their current freedom and didn't like the idea of being tied down to a record label that would milk them for all they were worth. Although, she had to admit, it would be great to tour the country or even the world, performing for thousands of fans.

After they were done playing their instruments, Kaitlyn chatted with Eden for a bit.

"You think we'll ever be famous?" Eden asked.

"Who knows?" Kaitlyn replied. "Lots of people dream of being famous. Only a few out of millions of them actually become famous."

"Well, whatever happens, we always have fun, don't we?" Eden said.

"We do, Eden, we do," Kaitlyn agreed.

Eden looked at her watch. "Gotta bail, Kait," she said. She went out the garage door. "See you later!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Bye, Eden!" Kaitlyn shouted back.

* * *

Faith Darkchilde was shopping at one of her favorite underground gothic shops. She bought a lovely black leather shirt with metal buttons and dark red silk fringes on the sleeves and neck, as well as a pair of leather pants and an ankh choker. She also bought a few other outfits and then departed the store. 

Ah, how she loved being a Goth. It was a hell of a lot better than being some dumb stuck-up preppy bitch who gushed over stupid fake-ass boy bands. She smirked at the thought of Justin Timberlake, who was currently on the solo trip. Hopefully,his stupid prefabricated bandwould break up for good.

Not all pop music sucked. She had to give gals like Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, and Avril Lavigne credit for writing their own songs and using their own instruments. Not that she was seriously into them, but yeah, they deserved credit for that alone, and for actually being serious about the stuff they sang about.

Faith returned home, to once again endure her family. Said family consisted of her airhead mom, her former jock father, and her stupid little brother.

"How was your day, Faith?" her mother asked, annoyingly sweet as ever.

"Fine," Faith murmured.

"Hey, how's my little woman doing?" her father asked. Little woman. That was his pet name for her.

"Fine," Faith repeated.

"So, what'd you buy, Faith, more 'Goth' stuff?" her little brother Richie asked.

"Yeah, I did," Faith replied, sneering. "You have a problem?"

Richie just stuck his tongue out at her.

"Come on, Richie," Faith's mother said, "that's no way to act toward your sister."

"Well, she shouldn't provoke him, either," Faith's father added in Richie's defense.

"I'll be in my room if anyone wants to know," Faith said, going to her room.

* * *

In the underworld, five spirits wandered the seemingly endless darkness. 

Those spirits were known as the Psycho Rangers.

"This world ceased to amuse me a long time ago," Psycho Red snarled.

"You found this world amusing?" Psycho Pink asked, disbelieving.

"New places can be interesting at first," Psycho Red defended.

"Those accursed Space Rangers!" Psycho Yellow snapped. "They put us here!"

"I want out!" Psycho Blue screamed. "I refuse to take this world a second longer!"

"You're not the only one who wants out," Psycho Black grumbled.

"We must find a way out!" Psycho Yellow declared.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Psycho Pink sneered.

"You want to make something of it?" Psycho Yellow challenged.

"Enough," Psycho Red said, waving a hand to "sweep away" rising hostilities. "We must focus on the task at hand, and that's finding a way out of this place!"

* * *

In a much more pleasant corner of the afterlife, the ancient wizard known as Zordon watched the Psycho Rangers wandering through the underworld. 

"I feel a great darkness rising in the living world," he said to himself. "Unfortunately, I cannot reach the Rangers there as they are all still alive." _Except for Trini,_ he added to himself sadly. Trini had died two years ago in a car accident, and just on the day before her marriage to Jason, the first Red Ranger Zordon had ever recruited. He could reach out to Trini, and she'd respond, but she was only one Ranger. Hardly enough to combat the force Zordon had felt, and the Ranger powers were created in such a way as to foster cooperation between the Rangers.

Then it came to him. It was an insanely risky idea, but alas, it was all he had all he could do to prevent Earth's destruction.

"I must call them," Zordon said to himself. "It is the only way . . . to save Earth."

* * *

Back in the living world, but outside of Earth, a warship came into orbit around Earth. The inhabitants of said ship felt no fear of being detected; after all, there was nothing those primitive humans had that could penetrate their stealth technology. Said inhabitants were a woman dressed in black leather with armor over it and long blood-red hair, a younger girl with pinkish red hair, and three lieutenants. The first lieutenant was wearing black full-body armor with a T-shaped visor. The second was in icy blue with an X-shaped visor, and the third was a female in white with a Y-shaped visor. 

The five inhabitants of that ship came from Kirai, the world of shadows and torment. The woman was Kanika, the younger girl her little sister Kokure, and the three lieutenants Tsukimaru, Xaran, and Yuna.

"So this is Earth, huh?" Kokure said. "Will we have fun here?"

"Much," Kanika replied. "This world is defenseless against us." She looked to her lieutenants. "When the time is right, we will strike the humans down and strip their worthless planet of all its life energy."

* * *

The next day, school was in session. It was at school that Kieran, Darien, Liam, Kaitlyn, and Faith all met each other. The school period had been lunch. 

"This place sucks, doesn't it?" Darien asked Kieran.

"I wouldn't know," Kieran replied. "I prefer to have an optimistic view of the world."

"Mr. Sunshine," Faith mocked.

The five teens sat together at a lunch table and began scrutinizing each other while trying not to make it look too obvious. Kieran was dirty blond with violet-blue eyes. Darien was dark-haired with ice-purple eyes. Liam was brown-haired with dark brown eyes. Kaitlyn had lustrous black hair, flawless tanned brown skin, and hazel eyes. Faith had red-tipped short-cropped black hair and eyes of a color they called "cerulean frost."

Kieran introduced himself first. "I'm Kieran."

"I'm Darien."

"I'm Liam."

"I'm Kaitlyn."

"I'm Faith." That one was said in a low, sullen voice, as if the speaker disliked human interaction.

"Not much into making friends, huh?" Liam said.

"I don't like interacting with others," Faith replied curtly.

"Why?" Liam asked.

"I haven't found anyone who hasn't been brainwashed by the system," Faith replied.

"'Brainwashed by the system'?" Kaitlyn echoed.

"The system teaches you one thing, and that's to conform," Faith clarified. "Why do you think the preps look down on everybody else? Because they've absorbed the system's teachings and they're now out there making sure everybody follows along, and those that don't aren't very popular around here."

"She speaks the truth," Darien said, obviously agreeing with Faith. "My mom bitches at me about my clothes, my music, and even my friends. Why? Exactly like Faith said. She grew up with all that shit they put in your head about how to be a good boy or girl, and to her, practically everything about me isn't 'good' enough for her."

"You two talk like the whole world's being brainwashed or something," Kieran asked. "Where the hell are we, _The Matrix?_"

"The point is, Ki, conformity's overrated," Faith said. "And me and Darien here seem to be the only ones who get that around here."

"I'm all for being your own person, but you make it sound like no one's allowed to do that," Liam contested.

"Oh, you think they don't preach that crap?" Darien retorted. "They tell you to be your own person, all right, as long as the person you are is the person they want you to be. You start deviating from that, that's when they give you trouble." He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, I see some friends of mine over at that table." He picked up his lunch tray and stood up to leave. "See you guys later."

"Yeah, I gotta bail, too," Faith said. "Maybe I'll see you guys around sometime." Like Darien, she stood up with her tray and left.

Darien sat at the table with his three closest friends: Raye, Devin, and Wayne.

"So who were those kids you were just sitting with?" Raye asked. "And could you get me the number of the blond guy in red? He's cute."

"I'm with Raye," Wayne said. "How about that girl in the black leather? You wanna get me her number?"

"The guy in red's Kieran," Darien replied. "The other boy's Liam and leather girl's Faith. The other girl's name is Kaitlyn."

"Kaitlyn," Devin echoed. "Sounds like a prep's name."

"Nah," Darien scoffed. "We all know preps ain't got nothing but Abercrombie & Fitch, Britney, and Justin in their heads. That girl's got something more in there."

Meanwhile, Kieran, Liam, and Kaitlyn were talking to each other. "So you do karate, right?" Liam asked.

"Yeah," Kieran confirmed. "Been learning the art since I was a kid. I'm now a fourth-degree black belt. You, Liam?"

"My uncle owns a ski lodge up in the mountains," Liam replied. "Whenever I get an opportunity, I like to go up there and do some snowboarding. There's nothing quite like it."

"What about you, Kaitlyn?" Liam asked.

"I'm a guitarist," Kaitlyn replied. "My four friends and I like to play music together, and we've been performing at local clubs here and there for the past year."

"Cool," Kieran said.

* * *

In the Spirit World, Zordon watched the Psycho Rangers. Casting an incantation, he summoned the five of them to him. 

"Where are we?" Psycho Red asked. He looked up. "Zordon!"

"What do you want with us?" Psycho Pink asked.

"I require your help," Zordon replied.

"You mean to tell us that you, the Great Zordon, require our help?" Psycho Black asked.

"And who's to say we'll help you?" Psycho Yellow asked. "In fact, why should we help you?"

"Because if you do, you will be restored to the living world," Zordon replied. "In actuality, what I am about to ask of you requires that you exist in the living world."

"Spill the beans, old man!" Psycho Blue snapped.

"An evil force from the planet Kirai has come to Earth with the goal of draining its life force," Zordon explained. "This force is led by Kanika, Kirai no Hime, Princess of Kirai. The others are her sister Kokure and her lieutenants Tsukimaru, Xaran, and Yuna. Their foot soldiers are known as the Kiraikure. If they are not stopped, Earth will be drained of all its life energy, rendering it a dead world, incapable of supporting life."

"Give us a reason to give a damn," Psycho Red sneered.

"This is your only chance to redeem yourselves and to escape the confines the underworld," Zordon replied. "The full terms of our deal will be explained to you soon."

"Don't play games with us, wizard," Psycho Red snarled, his voice threatening. "You tell us everything, or no deal."

"As you undoubtedly know, your bodies were destroyed by the Space and Galaxy Rangers," Zordon elaborated. "Therefore, the only way for you to return to the living world is to bond yourselves to five still-living human bodies."

"You want us to merge with humans?" Psycho Blue asked.

"It is the only way," Zordon replied. "I even have five in mind. Dimitria will contact them."

* * *

After school, Kieran, Darien, Liam, Kaitlyn, and Faith all did what they usually did. Kieran practiced karate and sparred against his father. Darien endured his mother's seemingly incessant disapproval. Liam snowboarded at his uncle's lodge. Kaitlyn played instruments with her friends. Faith struggled to survive as a Goth in a family that consisted of a former jock, a former preppy cheerleader, and a video game-obsessed little brother. 

After practicing his fighting technique, Kieran laid on his bed, letting his sore muscles get some rest. That was when he heard a female voice in his head.

_Kieran,_ the voice said. _It is time for you to meet your destiny._

Before Kieran could reply at all, a red flash of light teleported him out of his house. In four other places, four other teens were teleported out in a similar fashion, but with different colored lights.

Red, black, blue, yellow, and pink lights landed inside a dimly lit chamber, fading to reveal Kieran, Darien, Liam, Kaitlyn, and Faith.

"What the hell is going on here?" Faith asked.

"Relax, young ones," the female voice that had spoken to them all before they'd been teleported said. The five looked in the direction of the voice, and an ethereal woman dressed in white appeared. "I am Dimitria."

"Wow," Kaitlyn said softly. "She's so beautiful."

"I have brought the five of you here on behalf of a wizard named Zordon," Dimitria replied. "He is currently no longer of this world, so he could not be present to tell you this. A terrible evil threatens your world."

"Are you for real?" Faith asked skeptically.

"It is good that you are not so quick to believe," Dimitria said. "But this is no fabrication. An evil force has descended from the planet Kirai, a world of shadows and torment. The leader of this force is Kanika, Kirai no Hime, the Princess of Kirai. Directly below her in terms of chain of command are Kokure and her three lieutenants: Tsukimaru, Xaran, and Yuna. If they are allowed to succeed in their evil plans, your planet will be drained of its life energy, rendering it incapable of supporting human life."

"Assuming this story is real, how do you expect us to do anything about it?" Darien asked.

"For Christ's sake," Kaitlyn said. "If she could teleport us here, wherever here is, then don't you think her story has some credence?"

"If you do not believe, then let me give you a taste of what is in store for your planet," Dimitria said. Suddenly, they were in what looked like a 3-D hologram, watching gray-and-green-suited foot soldiers rampaging through an alien planet, killing and looting and plundering. Above it all, they saw the woman identified as Kanika laughing maniacally at the destruction. Finally, they saw the planet drained of its very life force. They saw the surviving inhabitants die from the deprivation of the life-giving bounty of the planet.

Finally, the vision was over.

"That's just sick," Liam said.

"Damn right," Faith said. "I'm still not sure what to make of this, but if what we just saw actually did happen somewhere, I don't want it happening here. I'm in."

"Count me in, too," Liam said.

"Three," Kaitlyn said.

"Four," Darien said.

"Five," Kieran said.

"That leaves only one question," Darien said. "How do you expect us to fight these monsters? If they could take out an entire planet, what chance do the five of us have?"

"By yourselves, none," Dimitria replied. "But with the help of five powerful warriors, you can succeed."

Five colored lights red, black, blue, yellow, and pink came down from the sky, flying around until they stopped in front of the five teens. Each light solidified into a figure dressed in black armor with white and another color as trim.

"Behold the Psycho Rangers," Dimitria said.

"So they're gonna help us, right?" Kieran asked, looking at Psycho Red.

"Don't you know?" Psycho Red snarled. "Staring happens to be very rude."

"Yes, they will help you, Kieran," Dimitria confirmed. "Their spirits will be merged with yours, becoming the other halves of your own souls. You will be able to call upon their power whenever you need it. You must follow three key rules. First, never use your powers for personal gain. Second, never escalate a battle unless you are forced to. Third, you must keep your identities secret."

"Why?" Darien asked.

"Because you will only be able to fight unhindered if you keep your identities secret," Dimitria replied. "If your identities were public, then you would be subjected to close scrutiny."

"Ok," Darien said.

"It is time," Dimitria said.

Upon those words, the Psycho Rangers became brightly colored lights again and flew into the five teens. The five glowed brightly and then the glow faded, except for around their wrists. The glow faded from their wrists, revealing mysterious black objects. The ones on their left wrists were shaped like ovals combined with rectangles and trimmed in silver. The oval part was covered by a black semitransparent glass, enough so that a black circular screen could be seen. The objects on the right wrists were slightly thinner and more streamlined in shape with loop attachments.

"What are these?" Kaitlyn asked.

"They are your Psycho Morphers," Dimitria replied. "When you activate them and shout 'Psycho Spirit Exchange,' you will be able to call upon the spirits and powers of the Psycho Rangers. Kieran, you are now Psycho Red. Darien, you will be known as Psycho Black. Liam, you will be called Psycho Blue. Kaitlyn, you will take on the identity of Psycho Yellow. Faith, you will embody the essence of Psycho Pink."

"Pink. Why pink?" Faith murmured.

"You do not have much time, Rangers," Dimitria said. "Go now."

The five new Rangers were instantly teleported to the center of town, where an army of Kiraikure were attacking.

"Hey, you guys looking for the mall?" Faith asked. She pointed behind her. "It's that way, and to your right."

The Kiraikure simply pointed weapons that looked like a cross between an axe and a sword at her.

"You don't wanna talk?" Kieran asked. "Fine. Ready, guys?"

"Ready," Faith said.

"Don't have to ask me twice," Darien said.

"Go for it," Kaitlyn said.

"Let's get psycho," Liam said.

The five Rangers rotated the loop attachments on their morphers until they were facing over their hands. "Psycho Spirit Exchange!" they shouted.

As they said those words, they performed a series of complex-looking arm motions that ended with them inserting the loop attachments into the Psycho Morphers. Flashes of black light tinged with another color engulfed the teens, momentarily obscuring them. When the light faded, the Psycho Rangers stood in their place.

"We're back," Psycho Red said.

"Finally!" Psycho Black shouted. "Real hands!"

"This feels a lot better than I remembered," Psycho Blue said.

"We're going to have so much fun here," Psycho Yellow said.

"Let's do this while we're still young," Psycho Pink said.

Just then, the air seemed to warp itself in front of them, and three armored figures stepped out of the warped air. Tsukimaru, Xaran, and Yuna.

"You must be the Psycho Rangers," Tsukimaru said.

"Guilty as charged," Psycho Red confirmed. "Not that it'll matter to you in a few minutes."

"So old man Zordon's got you doing his dirty work for him now," Yuna said. "How the mighty have fallen."

"What might?" Xaran sneered. "They've always been somebody's pawns. First Astronema's, then Trakeena's, and now Zordon's."

"Like I said, 'not that it'll matter to you in a few minutes,'" Psycho Red repeated.

"So be it," Tsukimaru said. "Kiraikure, get them!"

"Bring it on," Psycho Pink challenged.

To be continued . . .

Next chapter: The Psychos fight their first battle on the side of good, and learn what being heroes is all about.


	2. Why We Fight

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book One: "Twisted Rebirth"

Chapter 2: "Why We Fight"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers are not mine. They're Disney's, formerly Saban's. The Psychos' human forms and everything else are mine, though.

Author's notes: For starters, I'd like to say that I don't mean my characterizations of Darien and Faith to represent my views of all Goths. I don't actually have a view, since I don't know enough to make one. Second, I'm going to do my best to keep the Psychos in character even while they're on the side of good. Don't worry; you'll get to see them be tempted to return to the dark side.

The Kiraikure charged at the Psycho Rangers, who just stood there doing absolutely nothing. Suddenly, they vanished. The Kiraikure stood there looking absolutely confounded.

"Where did they go?" Xaran asked.

"Looking for us?" a voice asked.

"Over here!" another voice said, and then several blurs of movement later, half of the Kiraikure were defeated. Standing over them were the Psycho Rangers.

"You obviously know our names, but you don't know much about what we can do," Psycho Yellow sneered. "You're going to wish you'd taken the time to do your homework."

The Psychos fought the Kiraikure at super-speed, beating them with remarkable ease.

"This is so much fun!" Psycho Red shouted. "Granted, they're shit as fighters, but it's so gratifying to be able to strike someone with real hands!"

"You said it," Psycho Blue agreed. "Psycho Axe!"

"Psycho Arrow!" Psycho Pink shouted.

"Psycho Rod!" Psycho Black shouted.

"Psycho Sling!" Psycho Yellow shouted.

"Psycho Sword!" Psycho Red shouted.

The Psycho Rangers tore into the Kiraikure with their weapons, striking, slashing, and blasting. Once they were finished, they turned their attentions to the three lieutenants.

"Do you want to go next?" Psycho Red asked, pointing his sword at Tsukimaru, who drew his own sword.

"You may have defeated the Kiraikure, but their only strength is in their numbers," Tsukimaru replied.

"We shall be far more difficult to beat, if you can beat us at all, that is," Yuna added. She drew a baton.

Xaran drew a staff. "Do you feel like dying anytime soon, Psycho Rangers?"

"We prefer life over death," Psycho Blue said. "The afterlife is not a very fun place for us."

"Then we offer you a choice," Tsukimaru said. "Walk away from this fight or die."

"We could just walk away," Psycho Red murmured to himself. "What reason do we have to fight?"

_Does honoring your pledge count as a reason?_ a voice asked him.

_Kieran,_ Psycho Red thought. _My new soul partner._

_That's right,_ Kieran said. _You and your teammates swore to Zordon that you would stop Kanika and her forces if you could return to life. You can't go back on your word._

_Why shouldn't we?_ Psycho Red asked. _Zordon__ can't do anything to us now that we're in the living world._

_No, he can't,_ Kieran agreed. _At least, I don't think he can. Then again, I've never met him before so I don't really know what he can and can't do. Besides, it's not right to go back on a deal. I know you and the other Psychos are supposed to be evil, but are you without honor as well?_

"Have you made up your minds?" Tsukimaru asked. "Or do you need more time to consider it?" He paused for a moment, as if in deep thought. Not like anyone could tell through his helmet, though. "Very well. You have until tomorrow's sunset to make up your minds. Good-bye, Psycho Rangers."

The air warped again, and Tsukimaru and his comrades disappeared in it, leaving the Psycho Rangers in a state of mental conflict. They'd been created for the purpose of evil, yes, but there was something in them that rebelled against the thought of going back on a pledge.

And they weren't sure if it was just their human counterparts' consciences or their own, if they had such.

"We don't have to make up our minds now," Psycho Blue said.

"No, we just have to decide by sunset tomorrow," Psycho Black said. "What a comforting thought."

"For now, our human counterparts have to go home," Psycho Red said. "Their parents might get worried."

With that said the five of them raced back to their respective homes at super-speed. Rather, Red, Blue, Black, and Pink raced at super-speed. Yellow simply sank into a warp in the ground and emerged in Kaitlyn's room.

"Exchange!" she shouted, and Psycho Yellow disappeared, replaced by Kaitlyn.

"That was a new experience," Kaitlyn mumbled to herself. That said, she went down to see her parents, then went back to her room and went to sleep. As Kaitlyn slept, Psycho Yellow was wide-awake, brooding over the choice Tsukimaru had presented to her and the other Psychos.

The other Psychos were reflecting as well, while their human halves slept.

_Why? _Psycho Red asked himself. _Why should I care what happens to this planet? What reason do I have to fight?_

That was a question all the Psychos struggled with. Why should they care if Kanika drained the Earth's life force? What reason did any of them actually have to fight?

* * *

"It's sad," Zordon said in the Spirit World, watching the Psychos' human hosts. "They have so much potential to do so much good with their power, but all they know is evil." 

"It is not a surprising thing, Zordon," Dimitria said, communicating from the living world. "The Psycho Rangers were created for the purpose of doing evil. They do not know how to be good."

"That is why they had to be bonded to human bodies," Zordon replied. "Not just because they no longer have bodies of their own, but because they have to learn to be good by living among the people they're fighting for."

"They will make the right decision in the end," Dimitria said. "As the humans are fond of saying, 'Biology is not destiny.' The Psycho Rangers may have been created to be evil, but they can choose to reject that and do good."

"Yes," Zordon agreed. "As you know, two of the Rangers I recruited were once evil, but they chose to reject that and do good, despite all temptation to turn back. I am confident that the Psycho Rangers will do the same."

* * *

The next day, the Rangers were at school. Instead of sitting with their usual groups, or all by themselves, they sat together. 

"So what do we do?" Liam asked.

"About what?" Faith asked.

"The decision," Kieran replied softly. "Keep your voices down. We don't want anyone overhearing us."

"No worries," Darien said. "Everyone here's so freaking noisy it ought to drown us out."

"We can't really decide," Kaitlyn said. "It's the Psycho Rangers' decision to make, not ours."

"What happens if they choose to lay off Kanika?" Liam asked. "We won't ever be able to use our morphers again because once we do, the Psychos will be in complete control. And there's no way we can exert any real influence over them once we're transformed."

_Do not speak as if we are not present, _Psycho Blue snarled in Liam's mind. _We are right here with you, so we are aware of everything you do or say._

"Yeah, and if we have to fight Kanika all by ourselves, we're done for," Faith added. "'Cause there's no way in hell that five normal teenagers can fight those freaks and hope to win."

"Psychos or no Psychos, we have to try, at least," Kieran said. "We were picked for a reason, and Dimitria doesn't strike me as the kind of person who just does these things at random. Something made us special, and while I don't know what it is, I do know that we can't just stand back and do nothing."

"Let's hope the Psychos feel the same way," Darien said, looking at the big clock in the cafeteria. "It's quarter past noon now. Sunset's in seven hours."

* * *

The rest of the school day was spent brooding. Actually, the five Rangers brooded over whether their Psycho counterparts would choose to turn their backs on Earth, while the Psychos themselves brooded over whether they should fight or not. 

After school, Kieran went home and practiced his karate katas. As he practiced, his father watched him, seeing tension in his moves.

"Kieran," his father said.

"Yeah, Dad?" Kieran asked.

"You're moving like you've got a thousand-pound weight on your shoulders," his father replied.

_More like the weight of the world, _Kieran thought. Out loud, "Really?"

"When you move like that, it's a sign something's troubling you," his father said. "So tell me what's wrong, man to man."

"I have a really close friend," Kieran said. "He used to be a really bad person, always getting into fights or causing trouble. He's got a chance to turn everything around, prove that he can be a good person, but he doesn't know if he wants to take that chance."

"Kieran, I won't lie to you," his father said. "Change is a scary thing. It's always easier to stay in the same old rut. In fact, I'm willing to bet that the real reason he's scared is because he doesn't really know how to be good. I mean, if I'm right about your friend, getting into and causing trouble is all he really knows how to do. Not that I'm insulting him; it's just an observation. But I'll tell you what I do know for sure: If he really wants to change, he will."

_Only observations?_ Psycho Red asked silently. _Your father has a remarkable amount of insight into our situation._

_That's my dad, _Kieran replied. _He's got a master's in psychology, so he really knows how to get into people's heads and figure out what they're really like and what they're all about._ To his father, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," his father said.

* * *

Darien handled his problems the way he always did, by shutting himself off from everyone and listening to his music. The CD of the day was Korn's Issues. The song he was currently listening to was the twelfth track, "No Way." 

_So I came too far. _

_To end up this way._

_Feeling like I'm gone. _

_Feeling there's no way._

Darien heard a knock on the door. Sighing in annoyed resignation, he removed his headphones and opened the door. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Darien," his mom said. "Care to eat?"

"Sure," Darien replied.

* * *

As for Kaitlyn, she was talking to Eden after another practice. "So, Kait, what's eating you?" 

"Choices," Kaitlyn replied.

"Choices?" Eden echoed.

"You ever feel like you know what you have to do, but it's someone else who has to make the decision?" Kaitlyn asked.

"I say let them make their own choices," Eden replied. "You can't decide for them, and you can't force them to decide the way you want."

"What if it's a bad choice?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Then whoever you're talking about has to live with it," Eden replied. "But there's always such a thing as second chances. And it's never too late to make the right choice, even if the last one was wrong."

"Thanks," Kaitlyn said.

"What are friends for?" Eden replied. "By the way, we have a performance at eight tonight at Club Madness. Try not to be late."

"I'll make it," Kaitlyn said.

* * *

Faith looked at the time on her computer monitor. "Not much time left. Only half an hour till sunset." 

She got up and went downstairs to the front door. "Where you going so soon, little woman?" her father asked.

"Out," Faith replied, and opened the door to depart.

"Can you at least say where you're going so your mom and I don't have to worry?" her father asked.

"The mall," Faith replied.

"As long as you come back in one piece by eleven," her father said before Faith walked out the door.

* * *

Kieran was walking downtown when he saw a car tearing down the street at a speed of 70 mph. Unfortunately the speed limit was 65 mph. 

And there was a little girl in the car's path.

"No!" Kieran shouted, and ran down after the little girl, unconsciously activating his morpher. "Psycho Spirit Exchange!"

There was a flash of red, and in a blur of motion, Psycho Red was on the sidewalk with the little girl in his arms. He handed her to her parents.

"Oh, my baby!" her mother exclaimed, hugging her, tears of relief in her eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, mommy," the little girl replied.

Psycho Red turned to leave, but was stopped by the little girl tugging on his gauntleted hand. The leader of the Psycho Rangers turned to look at her.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Thank you," she replied.

Psycho Red felt a strange elevation in his mood. It was as if those two simple words had brightened his whole entire outlook on life. "You're welcome," he replied. He knelt down and hugged her, surprising himself.

"Thank you," the girl's mother said.

"You're welcome," Psycho Red said. He released the girl gently and then was gone in a blur.

_That's why we're fighting, Red,_ Kieran said to him. _Not simply for the entire world, but for people like that little girl and her parents. We're fighting to keep them safe._

Psycho Red remembered the brightening in his mood when the little girl had thanked him, and nodded. Such purity and innocence had to be preserved, protected. It didn't matter what he was. But that little girl looked to be the light of her parents' life, and maybe in the future, she would be the light in a lot of people's lives. That light had to be protected at all costs.

* * *

Psycho Red made it to the downtown area where Kieran and the others had agreed to meet. He looked at the sky. The sun was about ready to set. He could see the sky turn a conflagration of beautiful colors.

Out of the increasing shadows cast by the fading day, Psycho Red saw Darien, Liam, Faith, and Kaitlyn arrive.

"Psycho Red?" Faith asked.

"That I am," Psycho Red replied.

"Have you made your choice?" Kaitlyn asked.

"I just saved a little girl," Psycho Red replied. He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "And it felt good."

The five waited for the sun to finish setting, and as the sun set over the horizon, the air warped in front of them. Tsukimaru, Xaran, and Yuna stepped out of the warp.

"I see Psycho Red, but I also see four human children where his teammates should be," Tsukimaru said.

"We do not want to deal with pathetic human children," Xaran said. "We want the Psycho Rangers."

"You want Psychos?" Faith asked. "You're going to get Psychos. And speaking of Psychos, I'm about ready to get psycho on you for calling us pathetic."

"Cool it, Faith," Psycho Red said.

"Screw you," Faith said to Xaran. Then with Darien, Liam, and Kaitlyn, "Psycho Spirit Exchange!"

Four flashes of multicolored light later, Psycho Black, Psycho Blue, Psycho Yellow, and Psycho Pink were standing in place of their human spirit companions.

"Have you made your choice, Psycho Rangers?" Yuna asked.

"We've decided," Psycho Red replied. "And the answer is . . . well, we'll just have to show you our answer, won't we?" He looked to the other four Psycho Rangers. Jade lightning gathered in their hands.

"I don't believe this," Yuna said.

"Believe it, bitch," Psycho Pink sneered. "We refuse to be slaves to evil again. And that is all you are under evil: slaves."

"We will not go back to being used for someone else's schemes!" Psycho Yellow declared.

The Psycho Rangers raised their hands and fired the green lightning gathering in them as one. "Jade Lightning Attack!"

The Jade Lightning Attack was a very potent and potentially crippling attack. Unfortunately, it never got a chance to hit the three lieutenants, as the air in front of them warped, sucking up the blast.

"Do you realize the magnitude of the jeopardy you five have placed yourselves in by opposing Kanika?" Tsukimaru asked. "Had you chosen to walk away, I might have been able to put in a good word for you with her, maybe convince her to let you fight alongside us. However, since you've obviously been infected by that virulent affliction called goodness, we have no choice but to destroy you."

The air in front of the three lieutenants warped again, this time spewing the Jade Lightning Attack. The blast struck all five Psycho Rangers, knocking them off their feet.

"I never knew our attack could be that strong," Psycho Black said.

"Always feels different when you're on the receiving end, doesn't it?" Psycho Yellow asked.

Psycho Red got to his feet, the others following. "You wanna play like that? Fine by us. Psycho Sword!"

"Psycho Rod!"

"Psycho Axe!"

"Psycho Sling!"

"Psycho Arrow!"

"Let's take them down!" Psycho Red shouted. That said, the Psycho Rangers attacked, Red fighting Tsukimaru, Black and Blue fighting Xaran, and Yellow and Pink fighting Yuna. Red and Tsukimaru clashed swords, fighting at super-speed and leaping all over the place. Black and Blue took their Rod and Axe to Xaran, who countered with his staff. Yellow and Pink fired their Sling and Arrow at Yuna, who blocked with her glaive.

"You're tough," Yellow said to Yuna. "But guess what?"

"We're tougher," Pink finished.

"Really?" Yuna asked. "Kirai Glaive Triple Slash!" In a blur of motion, she slashed the female Psycho Rangers three times.

"Bitch," Pink snapped and fired her arrows at Yuna. Yellow joined in, firing her Psycho Sling.

Meanwhile, Blue and Black were fighting Xaran. Blue spun at super-speed, slashing Xaran with his Axe. Black struck Xaran with his Rod.

"Enough of this childish game," Xaran said. "Kirai Staff Speed Strike!"

In a blur of lightning-fast motion, Xaran struck Blue and Black so many times that you couldn't even count, and he was moving so fast you couldn't even see it coming.

Psycho Red and Tsukimaru fought, their swords clashing.

"You're strong, Psycho Red," Tsukimaru said. "Unfortunate that you choose to serve the side of good. We could always use warriors like you."

"Operative word being 'use,'" Psycho Red retorted. "I've been used before, and I don't intend to return to that anytime soon." He emphasized that with a particularly hard slash.

"So be it, Psycho Red," Tsukimaru said. "Time to give you a taste of what I can really do. Kirai Sword Multi Slash!" Moving so fast that even Psycho Red was taken unawares, Tsukimaru slashed him repeatedly.

The male Psychos were left seriously battered while the females were barely holding their own against Yuna.

"If you must know," Tsukimaru said to Psycho Red, "I slashed you a maximum of twenty-five times. Even though it happened so fast, it certainly didn't happen so fast that you didn't have time to feel them all."

"Shall we finish them?" Yuna asked while fending off Yellow and Pink.

"Yes, let's finish them," Tsukimaru replied. The silver trim of the black blade of his sword separated in half, framing the black blade. Xaran attached his staff to the underside of the sword. Yuna added her glaive, sharp end forward, to the top of the sword. Then she and Xaran stood next to Tsukimaru.

"Kirai Cannon!" all three lieutenants shouted. The cannon powered up, preparing to be fired. "Kiraiha!"

A wave of black energy struck the Psycho Rangers, knocking them down and leaving them in no condition to get back up. Nevertheless, they tried.

"Oh, look, there's some life left in them," Yuna sneered.

"Apparently, we didn't beat them hard enough before," Xaran said.

"I commend you, Psycho Rangers," Tsukimaru said. "Not many have the tenacity that you do." This was said as he watched them struggle to rise to their feet.

"This . . . is not . . . over . . . yet," Psycho Red snarled through the pain.

"You're right, Psychos," Tsukimaru said. "It's not over yet. That was just a taste of your future if you continue to oppose us." The air warped behind him and his comrades and they stepped back through it. "Farewell for now."

* * *

The Psychos finally managed to stand on their feet. "Damn it," Psycho Pink said. "We lost." 

"Why did you decide to fight for good?" Psycho Blue asked his red teammate.

"When I saved that little girl," Psycho Red replied, "I felt good. You wanna know why? Because in that moment, I knew that we could be so much more than we once were. I knew that we could make a difference, regardless of our past. That's why we're going to fight, so we can make that difference."

"I hate to interrupt that rousing speech, Red," Psycho Yellow said. "But Kaitlyn is almost late for a performance at Club Madness."

"We'd better hurry," Psycho Black said. That said, he, Blue, Red, and Pink joined hands with Yellow and they sank through a warp in the ground, reemerging in Kaitlyn's room. Psycho Yellow picked up Kaitlyn's guitar and slid her arm through the strap, securing it to her waist. She joined hands with the other Psycho Rangers and they warped into the shadows across from Club Madness.

"Exchange!" the Psycho Rangers shouted, allowing their human selves to take over again.

"I feel like crap," Faith said. "Even though it was Psycho Pink who took the beating and not me, I still feel like crap."

"They're bonded to us now," Liam said. "Whatever pain they experience, we feel."

The five teens entered the club and Kaitlyn introduced the other four to her band.

"So what's your band's name?" Kieran asked.

"Gold Thunder," Catrina replied. She looked at the time. "We're going to perform now. Would you like to come backstage with us after?"

"Sure," Darien said.

Kieran, Darien, Liam, and Faith went onto the club's dance floor and watched Kaitlyn perform with Gold Thunder. After it was over, they came backstage to hang out.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kanika watched the Psycho Rangers' vessels in her ship. "We've drawn first blood," Kokure said. 

"Yes, we have, sister," Kanika agreed. She looked to her lieutenants. "Good work. But why didn't you destroy them when you had the chance?"

"It has been a long time since we encountered opponents of their strength," Tsukimaru said. "We wanted to keep them around for a while, just to amuse ourselves."

"Very well, then," Kanika said. "Have your fun. But our goal is to take Earth's life force. Do not let your fascination with the Psycho Rangers divert your attention from that task."

"We will not fail you, Princess Kanika," Tsukimaru said.

To be continued . . .

Next: The Psycho Ranger vessels learn that friendship transcends high school social status and meet a boy who is not all that he seems to be.


	3. Friends and Foes

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book One: "Twisted Rebirth"

Chapter 3: "Friends and Foes"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers are not mine. Everyone and everything else belongs to me.

Author's notes: The Psychos won't have it easy at all in the chapters to come. And it's not just fighting Kanika and her forces. They're also going to have to learn that the same brutal tactics they used as villains won't cut it in their new profession. In future chapters, you will see them learn to care about others and unlock greater power than they've ever experienced.

Now for a little vocabulary. Due to my fascination with Japanese culture, I've decided to use a derivative form of Japanese for the Kirai. "Kirai" is the Japanese word for "hate." "Ha" is Japanese for "wave." "Hime" is Japanese for "princess." "No" in Japanese is a possessive term, applied like this: Kirai no Hime means Kirai's Princess or Princess of Kirai.

Kanika: black, dark

Kokure: black

Tsukimaru: Moon Circle

The next day, the Rangers were still reeling from the battle with Kanika's lieutenants. Once again, they were sitting together at lunch. Sure, they all came from different social circles but they now had a common bond.

They had all been chosen to host the essence and powers of the Psycho Rangers.

"I have never been that sore in my life," Kieran said. "My dad's a piece of cake compared to those guys."

"Your dad probably never aimed to kill or injure you when you were sparring," Faith said.

"Yeah, those freaks mean business," Darien added.

"We're going to have to be supremely careful from now on," Kaitlyn said. "The lieutenants have already seen us. Kanika was most likely watching everything from some remote location. If she finds out who we are, we're finished."

"Not just us," Liam contributed. "The whole planet will be finished. Everyone we care about will be finished."

"You know, I just noticed something," Kieran said.

"What?" Liam asked.

"We all look very suspicious sitting together," Faith replied. "I mean hello? Dare and I don't look like the kind of people who'd be sitting with the rest of you."

"And why is that?" Kieran asked coolly.

"I don't fit in with people," Faith replied. "Never have, probably never will."

"Besides," Darien added, "Faith and I are 'Goths,' if that's the label you wanna use. That means we're pretty low on the school food chain, down there with the geeks and the punks."

"And what's that say about us?" Kaitlyn asked, her voice slightly perturbed.

"Kieran, the first thought anyone will have on seeing you is, 'What a nice-looking young man,'" Darien explained. "Of course, if anyone sees me, they'll brush me off as some punk and give me odd looks when they don't think I can see them."

"The point is," Faith said, "people like me and Darien don't tend to get along that well with people like you. No offense."

"And why don't people like us get along with people like you?" Liam asked.

"Because you're the pretty, semi-popular types," Faith replied. "Darien and I are the freaks who everyone either looks down on or tries to shove around."

"So you're saying that you don't think it's okay to sit with us because we're 'higher' on the social ladder than you?" Kieran asked.

"That's just stupid," Kaitlyn said. "I don't care about our backgrounds. I don't care that because of a few stupid kids, you think we're somehow unfit to sit together. We're all Rangers now, so we have to stick together."

"Kaitlyn's right," Liam said. "We need to be united, not divided just because of our social status."

* * *

In Earth's orbit, Kanika watched the exchange between the Rangers. 

"So the Rangers are conflicted because of petty high school snobbery," she said. "This could work to my advantage very well."

"It is very foolish how the humans divide themselves," Kokure said. "Especially the teenagers, who are apparently the most divisive of all humans."

"They're teenagers, Kokure," Yuna said. "At this point in their development, they are struggling to find a place where they belong, and they obviously do not like anything that causes them to question that. So they push aside anyone who they feel does not fit their standards."

"It's all stupid, if you ask me," Xaran said. "The most intelligent and knowledgeable of their kind are ostracized simply because some idiots think being smart makes you 'uncool.' Meanwhile, they elevate the athletes and cheerleaders and pretty girls to godlike status, despite the fact that any number of them would be paupers if brains were money. Ironically enough, the so-called beautiful people of the human high schools are hated and despised by nearly everyone."

"Like they say, 'It's lonely at the top,'" Kanika commented.

"The 'popular kids' always get swelled heads due to their status and therefore look down on everyone else," Tsukimaru added. "Utter foolishness."

"Still, it may work to our advantage," Kanika said. "The seeds of conflict are already planted. We just need to add water."

* * *

After school, Kieran pondered the dispute he had had with the others. "Just what is wrong with this world?" he asked himself. "What could actually drive people to think they shouldn't associate with each other just because they're different?" 

Just then, Psycho Red appeared in front of Kieran, transparent.

"Psycho Red?" Kieran asked. "How can you be here?"

"This is my spectral form," Psycho Red replied. "Since I am only a spirit, I can only manifest myself physically through you. We are bonded now, so you will be the only one who can see me, except for those who host my four compatriots."

"Why?" Kieran asked. "Why can't people just forget that they're different and be friends?"

"The problem with humans is that no one wants to be different," Psycho Red replied. "No one wants to stand out. That's why no one tries to stand up for anyone else in your schools. Ever heard the phrase 'guilty by association'?"

"Yeah," Kieran said.

"The point is, my soul partner, no one wants to suffer the so-called 'stigma' of being different," Psycho Red replied. "For being different leads to being ridiculed, to being hated, to being scorned. That's why so many of your schoolmates follow the crowd. They want to fit in; they want to be the same so they will not be noticed. So they will not be rejected."

"For someone who spent his days trying to destroy Earth, you have a lot of insight into the human condition," Kieran said.

"With hatred comes understanding," Psycho Red explained. "When you seek to destroy something, you must first learn about it. 'Know thy enemy.'"

"I just hope Darien and Faith see that Liam, Kaitlyn, and I can be their friends," Kieran said. "If they'll let us."

* * *

Meanwhile, Faith was pondering as well. "Just as well," she said to herself. "I don't need them." 

"Perhaps the truth is that you believe you need no one," a familiar female mechanical voice said.

Faith looked around and saw Psycho Pink sitting next to her on her bed. "Psycho Pink? How?"

"Astral projection, honey," Psycho Pink replied. "The only way I can take physical form is if I take over your body. You and you alone can see me, except for the other Rangers."

"Why's that?" Faith asked.

"Because they host Psycho Rangers as well," Pink replied. "Now, why do you not wish to be near the others?"

"Darien's ok," Faith said. "But I don't fit in with the others. I'm not like them."

"No one is ever truly like anyone else," Pink stated bluntly. "We are all different. No two people are the same."

"People like me can't associate with people like them," Faith stated just as bluntly.

"Just like paupers are unfit to associate with kings?" Pink asked.

"It's not the same," Faith said.

"You're conforming," Pink said.

"I do not conform," Faith denied.

"Yes, you do," Pink replied. "You're letting what others will think of you for trying to associate with the other Rangers color your own reasoning. If you truly do not conform, then do not let anyone stop you from being your own person. Do not let anyone stop you from being friends with those you wish to be friends with."

Faith paused, looking into Psycho Pink's visor. Then she smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Psycho Pink said, a smile in her voice.

* * *

Darien was lying on his bed, listening to more Korn songs. 

_I tell my lies, and I despise _

_Every second I'm with you. _

_So I run away, and you still stay, _

_So what the fuck is with you?_

_Your feelings, I can't help but rape them. _

_I'm sorry I don't feel the same. _

_My heart inside is constantly hating. _

_I'm sorry I just throw you away._

"Is that what you are going to do, Darien?" the voice of Psycho Black asked. "Throw away a chance to make new friends?"

Darien tilted his head slightly and saw a transparent Psycho Black sitting on the chair of his computer desk.

"What do you mean?" Darien asked.

"I mean that you are willing to reject the others because they aren't like you," Psycho Black said. "You're no better than those you despise if you are going to do something like that."

"Look, Black, that's the way things have always been," Darien said.

"Is it because of your friends?" Black asked. "Is that why you are so hesitant to associate with the other Rangers?"

"Look, we've been tight for a couple of years now, and I don't want to lose that," Darien said.

"If your friends are true friends, then any friend of yours should be a friend of theirs," Black said. "If not, then you must rethink your choices of friends."

"I'll think about it," Darien said. "Thanks for the advice, Black."

"You're welcome," Black replied.

* * *

The next day, Darien talked to his friends. "You know, guys, Kieran and the others aren't that bad. If you get to know them, they're really nice." 

"Yeah, especially Kieran," Raye said. "He's fine."

"So's Faith," Wayne added.

"You actually wanna hang with those guys?" Devin asked.

"I just think they're nice people," Darien said. "At least they don't wear that brand-name crap."

"Thanks," Kieran said from behind Darien. "Didn't know you liked us that much."

"I do," Darien said.

"Wanna sit with us, cutie?" Raye asked.

Kieran smiled. "Sure." He sat with them. "On one condition, though."

"What is it?" Raye asked, smiling.

"Can my other three friends sit with us?" Kieran asked.

"The more, the merrier," Raye replied.

Liam, Kaitlyn, and Faith came over to the table, sitting with them. The eight soon began to strike up a conversation. Even Faith contributed a few bits, monosyllabic as they were.

"I'm glad you guys can all get along," Darien said.

"Why wouldn't we?" Devin asked. "They're kinda cool. So, Kaitlyn, you're in a band?"

"Yeah," Kaitlyn replied. "We just perform in clubs, never gotten a record deal yet."

"Why not?" Faith asked. "You're good enough, from what I heard of you last night. And girl bands and girl-fronted bands rock. There aren't enough of them."

"Yeah, but there're too many poser male bands," Raye added. "Not that I've got it in for all male rock bands. I just think some of them aren't that good and shouldn't be as popular as they are."

"Who you talking about, Limp Bizkit?" Devin asked.

"The whole rap-rock thing has gotten old," Raye explained. "I like the good old-fashioned heavy metal. And you wanna know what's even better? Goth rock."

"True that," Faith agreed.

"Hey, Kieran, you do karate, right?" Wayne asked.

"Yeah," Kieran confirmed. "Been practicing the martial arts since I was a kid."

Raye smiled flirtatiously at Kieran. "Probably got a killer bod under there, don't you? All trim and graceful."

Kieran blushed slightly.

"Don't worry, Ki," Devin said. "Raye's not the kinda gal who'd try to proposition you without a serious prior commitment. She's just not the shy type."

"Damn right," Raye confirmed. "I like a guy; I say it to his face."

"And Liam, you like winter sports, right?" Wayne asked Liam.

"Yeah," Liam replied. "Been competing for the last two winters now. Even though it's pretty warm now, my uncle's got a ski lodge up in the mountains. I go there whenever I get a chance."

"What do you like, Faith?" Wayne asked.

"I like to go out to the clubs whenever I get a chance," Faith replied. "Shake it on the dance floor and all."

* * *

As Kieran walked home from school later that day, he smiled to himself. His team had come closer together, and he'd even had the pleasure of making new friends. 

"So, Kieran, how was your day?" his father asked him.

"Great," Kieran replied. "I made three new friends: Wayne, Devin, and Raye. They're cool people to hang out with. Though Raye kinda makes me nervous."

"Why?" his father asked.

"For the entire time we were talking at lunch, she flirted with me," Kieran replied.

"So?" his father asked. "Girls have gotten a lot bolder since my time. Don't sweat it, Kieran."

That night, Kieran was cruising the Internet, checking out animé web sites when an Instant Message popped up. It wasn't from anyone on his Buddy List, so it asked if he wanted to accept the message. He looked at the screen name: "blackfaith17." Kieran clicked "yes" to accept.

Blackfaith17: Hello there, Kieran.

CrimsonKatana009: Hi, Faith.

Blackfaith17: You wanna go to the club with us tonight?

CrimsonKatana009: What club?

Blackfaith17: Crimson Tears.

CrimsonKatana009: Why would someone give a club that name?

Blackfaith17: Vampires cry blood tears, don't you know? The club owner must be a real vampire fan.

CrimsonKatana009: I'll come with you. Just let me clear it with my dad, and I'll see you there.

Blackfaith17: Good. The others, including Darien's pals, will be there, too. You know what that means.

CrimsonKatana009: Oh, you mean Raye?

Blackfaith17: Uh-huh. See you.

CrimsonKatana009: See you, Faith.

Blackfaith signed out at 7:32:23 PM.

Kieran logged out as well, and closed his laptop. Then he looked through his closet for suitable clothes. In the end, he picked out a red-stitched black denim jacket with a red shirt and red-stitched black jeans. Satisfied with his choice, Kieran dressed and went downstairs.

"Hey, Dad, do you mind if I go out to see my friends tonight?" he asked.

"No," his father replied. "Have a good time. Just don't do anything stupid like coming home late."

"I'll do my best to be on time," Kieran promised. "Bye, Dad." He walked out the door.

* * *

Crimson Tears was going to take some distance to walk, so Kieran decided to drive. He got into his car, a comfortably-sized Mazda convertible, and drove to Crimson Tears. Once it was within sight, he parked his car a short distance away. Close enough for him to get to quickly, yet far enough away not to be noticed by thieves. He got out, locked the doors, and entered the club. 

Once Kieran stepped inside Crimson Tears, his ears were assaulted by the sounds of loud techno-rock. Specifically, a remix of Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl."

_Crawl on me._

_Sink into me._

_Die for me._

_Living Dead Girl._

He walked through the throng of dancing bodies, looking for his friends. To his surprise, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind and heard a voice in his ear.

"Hello, Kieran. I'm glad you could make it."

Kieran moved slightly so he could get a better look at the owner of the voice. "Hi, Raye."

"Wanna dance?" Raye asked.

"Ok," Kieran replied, and turned around to face her. Then they started dancing.

"You're pretty good, Kieran," Raye said.

"Fighting and dancing are based on the same principles, more or less," Kieran said. "Both require grace and good timing." He gave Raye a quick once-over, noticing that she was dressed in a black leather mini-dress that showed off her curves. Then he looked over her shoulder, searching for his friends and saw them. Darien, Faith, Wayne, and Devin were dressed in black, as usual: Darien in black shirt and jeans; Faith in a tight black leather shirt and pants, the shirt tight and accented with red silk fringes on the sleeves and neckline; Wayne and Devin in clothes similar to Darien's, only with red or white designs on the shirts or pants. Kaitlyn was wearing a yellow tank top and white capris. Liam was dressed in a light blue T-shirt and darker blue jeans.

"You look good, Kieran," Raye said.

"So do you," Kieran replied.

"Glad you noticed," Raye said, smiling.

After the song was over, Kieran and Raye joined the other six members of their group. "'Living Dead Girl' is a kick-ass song to dance to, never doubt that," Devin said.

"You especially loved dancing to it with Faith," Darien said to Wayne snidely.

"Can I help it if she looks drop-dead sexy in all that black leather?" Wayne asked.

"Speaking of that, isn't that shirt kinda tight on you, Faith?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Of course," Faith replied. "It actually has a corset built into it. And here's a little tip for you: If it weren't for all this silk on my neckline, you'd be seeing a lot of my assets." This was said with a sly smirk.

Kieran turned a faint shade of red, though it was hard to tell in the flashing lights. Raye flashed a ghost of a glare at Faith, as if to say, "Back off. He's mine; I saw him first."

"Smooth, Ki-man," Darien whispered to Kieran. "You already got two girls about to go at it over you."

Kieran rolled his eyes.

Kaitlyn was sipping her drink when a boy in his late teens walked up to her. She didn't know him, but she noticed that he had long violet-accented dark hair and golden eyes. His hair was tied into a long thin ponytail that reached down past his knees and he had spiky bangs framing his face. And there was one other thing about him she noticed.

He was strikingly handsome, perhaps too much so to be human. He smiled at her.

"Do you want to dance with me?" he asked, his voice low, smooth, and alluring.

Kaitlyn found herself mesmerized by his voice and eyes. "Yes, I would love to dance with you."

She took his hand and went onto the dance floor with him. The song playing then was a rock song with a beat that was suitable for head banging or dancing.

"You're a very good dancer," the boy said to her.

"So are you," Kaitlyn said.

Kaitlyn's dance partner did not escape the notice of the Psycho Ranger vessels or their new friends.

"Who is that guy?" Wayne asked.

"I don't know, but I think he's kinda hot," Raye replied.

"No doubt," Faith agreed.

Darien smirked. "Man, that new guy's stealing your honeys," he whispered to Kieran.

Kieran again just rolled his eyes.

Kaitlyn continued dancing with the boy and he held her close, perhaps a little closer than necessary. Kaitlyn continued dancing, high on the beat.

"Something about that guy just doesn't feel right," Liam said.

"And familiar, now that I think about it," Faith added.

Deep within Kaitlyn's psyche, Psycho Yellow watched through Kaitlyn's eyes. _Who is this boy? And why does he feel so familiar? Hell, why does he seem to have such a powerful hold on Kaitlyn?_

The boy tilted his head closer to Kaitlyn's, looking straight into her eyes. Kaitlyn tilted her head up . . . and their lips met in a slow, smoldering kiss. The boy held Kaitlyn in a tight embrace and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth. Kaitlyn's response was to suck on his tongue and reciprocate.

"Whoa, check out Kaitlyn and the new guy," Raye said.

Psycho Yellow felt herself being overwhelmed by Kaitlyn's emotions, the dominant ones being near-uncontrollable attraction and desire. The truly overwhelming thing, she still had the rationality to think, was that these emotions were completely new to her. The only thing she had really felt passionate about was destroying the Yellow Space Ranger.

Then she felt something else. It was a feeling of complete surrender, like she was giving all she had to the one who was kissing Kaitlyn. And not just that, it also felt like she was being absorbed into him.

It took her only a second to realize that the draining feeling was quite real. This boy was some kind of vampire, and he was draining Kaitlyn's very life into himself!

_Kaitlyn_ she screamed. _KAITLYN! Pull away from him! Now!_

Kaitlyn could barely think, so entranced by the "boy" she was. His kiss had her utterly weak in the knees. _Who knew a kiss could give so much pleasure?_ she mused.

_Kaitlyn__, pull away!_ Psycho Yellow screamed.

_Psycho Yellow?_ Kaitlyn asked.

_That boy, he's draining you!_ Yellow replied. _Pull away from him!_

_But it feels so good. . . ._ Kaitlyn protested dreamily.

_He has you under some kind of psychic influence!_ Yellow protested more vehemently. _And he's draining your very life energy!_

That sparked something inside of Kaitlyn and she pulled away, gasping for breath.

"Who . . . are you?" she asked.

The boy smiled, this time revealing tiny yet sharp fangs. "You don't remember me? Of course, you don't. I was dressed quite differently when we last met." He grabbed Kaitlyn's arm.

"What the hell's going on?" Devin asked.

"That's what we're going to find out," Kieran said, moving to Kaitlyn's side with the other Psycho vessels. "Who are you?"

"That's what this pretty girl here just asked me," the boy replied, smirking. "You want to know? Follow me." That said, the air warped and the boy stepped through it, carrying Kaitlyn with him. The warp lasted long enough for the others to follow.

* * *

The six emerged in a deserted area of the city. "There are only three people I know who could use that technique," Kieran said. 

"Exactly," the boy said. "And I'm one of them." His form shimmered and faded, replaced by a familiar black-armored visage.

"Tsukimaru!" Liam shouted. "Let her go, now!"

"Why should I?" the now-revealed Tsukimaru asked. "Her energy is very beautiful, so it's only fair that such beauty should be part of me now."

Kaitlyn stomped on his armored foot with her heeled shoe-encased foot, surprising Tsukimaru enough (if not hurting him in any way) to loosen his grip. Kaitlyn then flipped Tsukimaru over onto his back and rejoined the other four.

"You're going down, Tsukimaru!" she shouted. Then with the others, "Psycho Spirit Exchange!"

The Psycho Rangers faced down Tsukimaru, who simply got up and drew his sword. The Psychos drew their weapons.

"Please, Psycho Rangers," Tsukimaru scoffed. "You couldn't handle me and my comrades the last time we fought, and any one of us alone could have defeated you. Allow me to prove it."

Warping the air once again, he disappeared and reappeared just in time to strike down all five Psycho Rangers with brutal attacks. They got up.

"That's enough!" Psycho Red shouted. "I refuse to take this any longer!" Green lightning gathered in his hands and he channeled it into his sword. "Psycho Sword, Jade Lightning Strike!"

In a blur of motion marked with green electricity, Psycho Red slashed Tsukimaru.

"Perfect!" Psycho Yellow shouted. "Psycho Sling!"

"Psycho Arrow!" Psycho Pink shouted.

"Psycho Axe!" Psycho Blue shouted.

"Psycho Rod!" Psycho Black shouted.

Then as one, the four Psychos shouted, "Jade Lightning Strike!" Blue and Black slashed Tsukimaru with their weapons, then stood with their arms spread out as Pink and Yellow used their shoulders as a springboard to fire their weapons. Pink's arrows glowed with an aura of green electricity and Yellow's sling fired blasts of green electricity.

"I have an idea," Psycho Red said. "If the Kirai lieutenants could combine their weapons, why can't we?"

"Precisely, Psycho Rangers," Dimitria's voice said in their helmets. "I am sending you data on just how to do that."

Suddenly, the Psychos found themselves awash in a sea of data on the new weapon they could form together. "Perfect," Psycho Yellow said.

Psycho Pink held out her bow and Psycho Black attached his rod to its underside. Psycho Blue added his axe to the back of the rod and Psycho Yellow attached her sling to the axe's underside. Psycho Red completed their combo weapon with his sword, attached to the top of Psycho Pink's bow. He took the new weapon in his hands, the other Psycho Rangers flanking him.

"Psycho Striker!" they shouted. Green electricity collected in it, preparing to be unleashed. "Fire!"

A blast of green lightning shot out of the Psycho Striker. Another warp in the air formed in front of Tsukimaru, trying to absorb the blast.

"Keep pushing!" Psycho Red shouted. The Psycho Rangers poured more power into the Psycho Striker and the blast eventually pushed past the warp, striking Tsukimaru.

"That'll teach you to try to seduce Kaitlyn and steal her energy," Psycho Yellow sneered.

Tsukimaru rose, battered and with visibly damaged armor. He chuckled through the pain. "I did nothing that she didn't want me to do on some level," he said, smirking. "The darkness can be so seductive, can't it?"

"Get out of my sight," Psycho Yellow snarled, and it was hard to tell whether it was really Psycho Yellow or Kaitlyn projecting her feelings through her.

"I will come back for you," Tsukimaru said. "Once I get a taste, I always want more." The air warped in front of him, and he stepped into it, disappearing.

"Let's go back," Psycho Black said. "Raye, Devin, and Wayne will start to worry soon, if they haven't already." The Psycho Rangers used their speed to return to the club in only a minute or two.

"Exchange!" they shouted, surrendering control to their human alter egos. The Psycho vessels entered the club again, doing damage control to ensure that no one would be asking too many questions. Kaitlyn didn't really have the heart for it, as one thought kept running through her head.

_No one plays with my heart and gets away with it. Tsukimaru, you will pay. Dearly._

To be continued . . .

Next: Kaitlyn deals with conflicting emotions over Tsukimaru and the Psycho Rangers discover new powers.


	4. Phantom Fire

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book One: "Twisted Rebirth"

Chapter 4: "Phantom Fire"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers are not mine by any means. Everything else belongs to me.

Author's note:Has anyone ever attempted what Tsukimaru attempted last chapter in either Power Rangers or sentai?Somehow, I don't think evenSuccubus got that far with Jasminein Dekaranger.Get ready for emotional conflict on both sides, my readers.

Kaitlyn sat on her bed that night, thinking about what had happened between her and Tsukimaru in Crimson Tears.

_I hate him,_ she thought. _Why did he have to be so damn beautiful without his armor? Why did he pick me to be his sustenance? How could I fall so hard for him?_

_Do not trouble yourself over him, Kaitlyn,_ Psycho Yellow advised. _Sleep. You need to recover your strength._

_Yeah, I suppose you're right, Yellow,_ Kaitlyn replied. She pulled back the covers and slid under them, then pulled them back up. Her eyes closed and she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

_Kaitlyn__ was performing with Gold Thunder before an audience of thousands, crammed into a stadium. The audience was cheering wildly. At the end of the concert, she was confronted by a shadowed figure._

_"I loved watching you perform," he said._

_"Thanks," Kaitlyn replied. "But didn't you like Catrina's singing?"_

_"It was pleasant, but your guitar makes a far lovelier sound," the figure responded._

_"Who are you?" Kaitlyn asked._

_The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself as Tsukimaru, dressed in normal clothes but looking drop-dead gorgeous._

_"Hello, Kaitlyn," he said._

_"Hello, Tsukimaru," Kaitlyn said._

_Tsukimaru__ stepped closer to Kaitlyn and she found herself unable to back away. In fact, she found that she didn't _want_ to back away. Eventually, Tsukimaru was so close he could inhale the very breath that she exhaled._

_"You're beautiful," he whispered._

_"As are you," Kaitlyn whispered back._

_Tsukimaru__ stroked her lustrous dark hair. "Such silky hair you have."_

_"Thank you," Kaitlyn whispered._

_Tsukimaru__ moved his head closer to Kaitlyn's and their lips touched. Kaitlyn wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself closer to him. Tsukimaru responded by holding her tighter. The kiss seemed to go on forever._

However, forever didn't last long, because it was all a dream, a dream that ended with Kaitlyn waking up gasping.

"What was that?" she asked herself. "How did I end up dreaming about _him?_"

* * *

On the Kirai vessel, Tsukimaru awoke, gasping for breath.

"What kind of dream was that?" he asked himself. He had had the same dream as Kaitlyn . . . almost. Unlike Kaitlyn's dream, his ended not with a kiss, but with Yuna stabbing both him and Kaitlyn with her Kirai Glaive. He had seen Kaitlyn fall from his arms and onto the floor, a pool of blood spreading from where she'd been stabbed. Tsukimaru's blood poured from his own wound, staining his shirt.

_"Now you and your Ranger whore can be together," Yuna had sneered. "In hell."_

And that was when Tsukimaru had woken up.

"Kaitlyn . . ." he whispered. He fell back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.

_Why can't I get you out of my head?_ he wondered. _What is it about you that drives me to this obsession?_

He knew one thing, though: As much as he might want to, there was no way he and Kaitlyn could be together. She was a Ranger, and he was a warrior for the Kirai no Hime. No way for them to have a life together.

* * *

The next day, after school, Kaitlyn was practicing with her band. After practice, Eden stayed behind to talk to her.

"Something's wrong, girl," she said.

"Nothing's wrong, Eden," Kaitlyn replied.

"Yes, there is," Eden countered. "Now spill. What is it that's got you so down?"

"I met this boy last night," Kaitlyn explained. "He was just . . . the most gorgeous guy I'd ever seen."

"So? Nothing wrong with meeting a hot guy," Eden said.

"But he wasn't who I thought he was," Kaitlyn continued. "I nearly ended up dead on account of him."

"Damn," Eden said. "Let me guess. You're still attracted to this guy."

"You could say that," Kaitlyn said. "My God, I even dreamed of him last night."

"You must really be into him to dream of him after you go to sleep on the same night you met him," Eden said.

"I know I shouldn't be, but dammit, he's just so hard to resist," Kaitlyn said.

"Sounds like you really got it bad for him," Eden deduced.

"I do," Kaitlyn admitted.

"Whoever he is, whatever he's done, it's not worth obsessing over in the end," Eden said. "Hot or not, he's a guy, and guys come a dime a dozen."

"Thanks," Kaitlyn said.

"You're welcome," Eden replied.

As soon as Kaitlyn was alone, her Psycho Morpher beeped. "Kaitlyn here," she said.

"Kaitlyn," Dimitria's voice said on her morpher. "Prepare for teleportation."

* * *

Before she was really aware of it, Kaitlyn was swallowed up by a yellow light and whisked off to the chamber where she and the other Rangers had first gotten their Psycho powers and spirits. She saw Kieran, Darien, Liam, and Faith there as well.

"So what are we doing here?" Kaitlyn asked.

"I am sorry, Rangers," Dimitria said. "I should have warned you about Tsukimaru."

"Can all of the Kirai lieutenants do what he tried to do to Kaitlyn?" Faith asked.

"Yes, Faith," Dimitria replied. "The inhabitants of Kirai are psychic vampires. Instead of drinking blood, they drain their victims' life energies."

"What about their other powers?" Darien asked. "When we tangled with the Kirai lieutenants, they were even faster than us. I don't know what happened, but they warped the air around them so that they could teleport and reflect any attack we directed at them. How did they do that?"

"The Kirai lieutenants can bend time and space on a limited scale," Dimitria replied. "As you've already seen, this enables them to teleport, move at speeds faster than even your Psycho Ranger selves can move, and absorb and reflect attacks. There may be other things that they can do, but I've yet to see them. Use extreme caution when you engage them in combat."

"For a 'limited' scale, they managed to do a hell of a lot with it," Kaitlyn said.

"Even limited power can be dangerous when used with sufficient skill," Dimitria said. "There is a way to combat them, though."

"How?" Liam asked.

"Your alter egos have deeper powers locked inside them," Dimitria replied. "But they must find the key."

The Rangers' morphers began to glow with bright light colored differently for each one.

"What's this?" Kieran asked.

"I just downloaded a transport system into your morphers," Dimitria replied. "Anytime you need to, you will be able to teleport to this location or teleport outside."

"Thanks," Kieran said.

"You are welcome, Kieran," Dimitria said.

Kieran, Darien, Liam, and Faith activated the new transport system, disappearing from the chamber in balls of red, black, blue, and pink light.

"Something troubles you, does it not, Kaitlyn?" Dimitria surmised.

"Yeah," Kaitlyn replied. "Tsukimaru."

"Do you have feelings for him?" Dimitria asked.

"Yes," Kaitlyn replied.

"It's not unusual for such things to happen," Dimitria said. "Darkness can be seductive in all its forms."

"It's like he's a flame and I'm a moth," Kaitlyn said. "He'll destroy me in the end, but I want to get close to him all the same."

"Do not worry, Kaitlyn," Dimitria said. "I am sure you'll do what's right in the end."

"Thanks," Kaitlyn said. She teleported out of the chamber in a ball of yellow light.

* * *

On the Kirai vessel, Tsukimaru was tormented by thoughts of Kaitlyn. She was so beautiful, and so perfect. Her lustrous black hair, her flawless bronze skin, her hazel eyes. He moved on to her lips, those full luscious lips that he would go to hell and back just to kiss. Of course, his mind soon went lower.

_You know you want her,_ a voice said within his mind. _Those tight curves, those dangerous hips, those long, lovely legs._ An evil chuckle soon followed. _I wonder . . . is she a screamer?_

_I would never do such a thing without her consent!_ Tsukimaru protested. _I am a servant of Kanika-hime, but I am no rapist!_

_Who says you need to rape her?_ the voice continued. _She seemed quite willing to let you take her when you first met. And if not for the interference of Psycho Yellow and those miserable children, you very well could have had your way with her._

_Enough,_ Tsukimaru said. Just then, Yuna came in, unarmored. She had long indigo-highlighted hair up in a high ponytail, crystalline green eyes, and a face and form to launch a thousand ships.

"Troubled much, Tsuki?" Yuna asked.

"It's nothing," Tsukimaru replied.

"Tsukimaru, we have worked together for quite a while," Yuna said, "and I've gotten good at telling when you're lying."

"So what?" Tsukimaru retorted curtly. "It's my problem and I'll deal with it."

"It's her, isn't it?" Yuna asked.

"Her who?" Tsukimaru asked.

"Do not play the fool with me, Tsukimaru," Yuna said. "You know full well who she is."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Tsukimaru replied.

"If you want to play this foolish game, fine," Yuna snapped. "The girl who hosts the spirit and power of Psycho Yellow. It's her you desire, isn't it?"

"So what?" Tsukimaru asked. "I am as loyal to Kanika-hime as I have always been."

"Then prove it," Kanika said, appearing at Tsukimaru's door. "If you are as loyal to me as you claim to be, you will take Yuna and Xaran to Earth. You will confront the Psycho vessels. You will draw out the Psycho Rangers. You will kill the Psycho Rangers."

"Yes, Kanika-hime," Tsukimaru said.

* * *

Meanwhile on Earth, Kaitlyn was playing her guitar when the air warped in front of her. She stopped playing and stood up in a defensive position. Tsukimaru stepped out of the warped air, armored.

_Good,_ she thought. _This way I don't have to look at his pretty face._

"Miss me?" Tsukimaru asked mockingly.

"Why should I?" Kaitlyn retorted.

"I told you I always come back for more," Tsukimaru said. Just as Kaitlyn was about to activate her Psycho Morpher, he grabbed her by the arm faster than the speed of lightning. The air warped once again, and both of them were sucked in.

Kaitlyn and Tsukimaru emerged inside the Kirai vessel. Tsukimaru took the opportunity to create energy chains to bind her hands behind her back, preventing her from activating her morpher.

"So, you are the host for Psycho Yellow," Kanika said. "You don't look like much."

"You won't get away with this," Kaitlyn declared. "The others will come for me."

"I'm betting on it," Kanika sneered. "That way I can get all five of you at once. Then, I will send your Psycho spirits back to the netherworld, and you and your friends can join them." She looked to Xaran and Yuna. "Put her in the dungeon."

Both lieutenants stepped forward and grabbed Kaitlyn by her bound arms, dragging and walking her to a holding cell. They stopped in front of a drab room with only a small cot to furnish it. The strange thing, Kaitlyn noticed, was that there were no bars of any sort; it was just an open room with three walls.

"Get in," Yuna ordered.

"Bite me," Kaitlyn replied.

"You don't want me to do that, do you?" Yuna asked threateningly. With a hard shove, she forced Kaitlyn into the cell.

"What, no bars?" Kaitlyn asked. "You people are idiots. I can just walk right out and. . ."As she was walking out of the cell to demonstrate her point, she walked straight into what looked like nothing, but something had blocked her and tossed her back into the cell with such force that she had hit the wall and landed on the cot hard. "What was that?"

"Force field," Xaran replied. "As long as it's up, you're not going anywhere, pretty Ranger."

"Enjoy your stay," Yuna sneered. "Don't worry. You'll have company soon enough." She and Xaran walked away, laughing.

Kaitlyn let out a noise between a sigh and a snarl.

_Don't worry, Kaitlyn,_ Psycho Yellow said. _We'll get out of this, one way or another._

"I didn't expect this new twist to the plan," Kokure said. "But I like it. This will certainly force the Psycho Rangers out."

"Yes, but we won't kill them on Earth," Tsukimaru said. "They'll come to us, and we'll kill them here. Kanika-hime can keep their heads as trophies."

"You're forgetting one thing," Kokure said.

"What?" Tsukimaru asked.

"You're attracted to the Psycho Yellow vessel," Kokure replied. "Can you get past your own feelings and serve my sister as you are duty-bound to do?"

"Yes," Tsukimaru replied.

"Good," Kokure said. "Go at once."

The air warped once more, sucking the three lieutenants in. When they reemerged, they were on Earth.

* * *

"Just our luck," Yuna said. "Look who's coming our way."

Indeed, it was the other four Psycho vessels that were walking in their path.

"What are you doing here?" Faith asked.

"We've got a friend of yours," Tsukimaru replied.

"What have you done with Kaitlyn?" Darien asked in a voice tinged with anger.

"She's currently in Kanika-hime's custody," Xaran replied. "She's safe, for now. But you won't get her back without a fight."

"Fine, then!" Faith shouted. "Psycho Spirit . . ."

Yuna cut her off. "Not right now, Pinkie. If you want to save your yellow companion, you'll have to come to us. Bye-bye." The air warped once again, sucking in the three lieutenants.

"Damn it!" Faith snapped.

"Don't worry," Liam said. "We'll get her back."

"Yeah," Kieran agreed. "Right now, we have to get to the Neji Chamber."

The four Psycho vessels teleported to the Neji Chamber in balls of red, black, blue, and pink.

"Dimitria, they've got Kaitlyn," Kieran said as soon as they materialized.

"Yes, I know," Dimitria replied. "Kanika has her captive inside the Kirai vessel." Upon those words, the holo-screen activated to show an image of the Kirai vessel.

"So that's the Kirai vessel?" Darien asked.

"Yes, it is," Dimitria replied. "It is capable of traveling at faster-than-light speeds with the same power that allows its inhabitants to move at speeds greater than even that of your Psycho Ranger selves. Also, it is completely undetectable to human radar and human eyes."

"No wonder nobody's mentioned it," Faith said. "You'd think the military or the government or somebody would have been able to detect that thing."

"If it was the government, they wouldn't have said shit," Darien contributed. "After all, secrecy is what they do best. Don't wanna freak out the people by making them think we're being invaded."

"Be warned, Rangers," Dimitria said. "This is most likely a trap, engineered to draw out your Psycho Ranger selves and capture and destroy all five of you together."

"Who cares?" Kieran said. "Kaitlyn's our friend. We have to save her, even if it's a trap."

"Very well," Dimitria conceded. "There is one thing I can give you, though."

Red, black, blue, and pink lights descended into the Neji Chamber, then grew and faded, revealing black rocket-gliders attached to what looked the wheels of a bike. Each "rocket-glider-bike" was trimmed in a particular color: red for Kieran, black for Darien (in his case a lighter shade than the rest of the cycle), blue for Liam, and pink for Faith. All four had the Psycho Rangers' symbol on the front.

"Awesome," Kieran said, getting on his bike. The others followed suit.

"Oooh, don't you just like the feeling of something hard and powerful between your legs?" Faith asked.

"What are these things called?" Darien asked. "And let's forget we heard any of what Faith just said."

"These are your Slider Bikes," Dimitria replied. "In bike mode, they can travel at a maximum speed of Mach 5. In slider mode, they can travel through space."

"Let's do this," Liam said.

Fully morphed, the Psycho Rangers drove their Slider Bikes at supersonic speed. Psycho Red pushed himself up into a crouching position on his bike, the other Psychos following suit.

"Slider mode!" they shouted, converting the Slider Bikes to what looked rocket-gliders, but with the wheels attached horizontally to the bottom. The four Psycho Rangers leaned forward to accelerate and ascended through the sky until they reached escape velocity.

* * *

In the Kirai warship, Kanika stared at the viewscreen, which was showing nothing. "So the Psycho Rangers are coming to rescue their teammate."

"Should we intercept them?" Xaran asked.

"No," Kanika replied. "The whole point of this exercise was to draw the Psycho Rangers out. Let them come. We will kill all five of them on this very ship."

* * *

In streaks of multicolored light, the Psycho Rangers boarded the Kirai warship.

"Now where is she?" Psycho Pink asked.

"Once we get her out, we're taking those posers to school," Psycho Black said.

The four Psycho Rangers encountered a small group of Kiraikure, who were soon beaten unconscious.

"Now, let's blend in," Psycho Red said. Their forms blurred and warped until they looked exactly like the Kiraikure.

"Heh, we'll blend in real good now," Psycho Blue said.

"As long as we don't speak," Psycho Pink added.

The Psychos wandered through the Kirai warship until they found by the holding cells. Inside one of them was Kaitlyn, with her hands bound behind her back.

"Fools," Psycho Pink said. "They left the cells unprotected."

"Pink, wait " Psycho Red protested, but Pink walked over to Kaitlyn's cell, obviously intending to walk through it. Unfortunately, she found herself bounced off some invisible surface. The impact of the landing upon the far wall disrupted her disguise, forcing her back into her true Psycho Ranger form.

"Psycho Pink?" Kaitlyn wondered.

"Yes, it's me, Kaitlyn," Psycho Pink replied.

"I was about to warn you about that," Kaitlyn said. "It's some kind of invisible barrier."

"Yeah, I get that," Psycho Pink said. "Knowing these guys, it's probably designed on the same principles that allow them to bend time and space."

"I get it," Psycho Blue said. "It's a dimensional warp, yet nothing is allowed to exit or enter."

"How do we get Kaitlyn free?" Psycho Black asked.

Surprisingly enough, the air warped once more in the empty frame that should have been the fourth wall of Kaitlyn's cell.

"We're letting you go," Yuna said.

"So we can kill all five of you ourselves," Xaran finished.

Kaitlyn stepped out of the cell and her energy cuffs dissolved. The male Psycho Rangers shed their Kiraikure disguises, revealing their true Ranger forms.

"Psycho Spirit Exchange!" Kaitlyn shouted, transforming into Psycho Yellow.

"You have no idea who you're messing with," Psycho Yellow replied.

"You may have defeated me when I fought you solo," Tsukimaru said. "But don't expect that you have any hope of defeating all three of us together."

"Bring it on," Psycho Yellow challenged.

With those words, the battle began. Yellow fought Tsukimaru, while Red and Pink fought Yuna and Blue and Black took on Xaran. Yellow fired her Psycho Sling at Tsukimaru, who blocked all the blasts with his Kirai Sword. Pink fired Psycho Arrows from her bow, but Yuna spun her Kirai Glaive so fast the arrows ricocheted in every direction. Red leaped up for a Psycho Sword attack, but Yuna blocked his efforts.

"Psycho Spin!" Blue shouted and spun super-fast, striking Xaran with his Psycho Axe. Black lashed with his Psycho Rod.

"Do you really think you should get all the fun?" Kokure asked, appearing with her older sister Kanika.

"Yes, we would love to join you in killing the Psycho Rangers," Kanika said. "In fact, as your princesses, we order you to allow us to join in."

"Yes, Kanika-hime, Kokure-hime," Tsukimaru replied.

"One more thing," Kanika said. "This ship is too cramped for a big battle. Let's take this to a more suitable location."

The air warped and this time, the Psychos and the Kirai forces were on Earth in a quarry neighboring the forest.

* * *

"Time to die, Psycho Rangers," Kanika sneered. "Kiraihime Rapier!"

"Kiraihime Whip!" Kokure shouted.

Instantly, a rapier and whip appeared in the hands of Kanika and Kokure respectively.

"The red one is mine," Kanika snarled. "You four may handle the rest."

"Bring it on, bitch," Psycho Red challenged.

So the battle began anew. Red's Psycho Sword clashed with Kanika's Kiraihime Rapier. Pink's Psycho Arrow was challenged by Kokure's Kiraihime Whip. Yellow's Psycho Sling took on Tsukimaru's Kirai Sword. Black's Psycho Rod met with Xaran's Kirai Staff. Blue's Psycho Axe confronted Yuna's Kirai Glaive.

"You're not bad, Psycho Red," Kanika sneered. "Too bad I'm better."

Psycho Red blocked a thrust from Kanika's rapier. "I could say the same to you. Unfortunately, _I'm_ the better one."

"We'll see, Psycho Ranger," Kanika replied.

Meanwhile, Kokure caught Psycho Pink's arrows with her whip. Then she lashed with it, and struck Psycho Pink in her helmet, cracking her visor.

"Bitch," Pink snarled and fired more arrows. Kokure caught every single one.

"So pathetic, pinkie," Kokure sneered.

"Who are you calling 'pinkie,' you cotton-candy-haired freak?" Pink snapped. "Go on; try to hit me again with your wimpy little whip. See what happens!"

Kokure struck with the Kiraihime Whip. This time, Pink caught it and tugged on it, helplessly pulling Kokure closer to her. Close enough for Pink to punch her in the face with her gauntleted hand.

"Bitch!" Kokure snapped.

"Such language coming from such a child," Psycho Pink mused mockingly.

Psycho Yellow was firing her Psycho Sling at Tsukimaru, who was blocking with his Kirai Sword.

"I wish things didn't have to be like this," he said, with something in his voice that sounded like genuine remorse.

"Too bad," Yellow said. "It _is_ like this. I'm a Psycho Ranger, you're a Kirai warrior. That's the way it is." It didn't escape her notice that she didn't know whether she was referring to her and Kaitlyn's conflicting feelings concerning Tsukimaru, or just the fact that they were supposed to be enemies. It probably might have been both.

Psycho Black and Psycho Blue tag-teamed Xaran and Yuna, who weren't showing any signs of letting up anytime soon.

"Give up, Psycho Rangers," Yuna sneered.

"Never," Psycho Black sneered back.

"Have it your way," Xaran said. "Now see what happens to those who stand against us."

Xaran and Yuna channeled their energy, and the next thing the two male Psychos knew, they were pierced by something invisible!

"What the hell was that!" Psycho Blue asked.

"It felt like . . . we were just stabbed!" Psycho Black exclaimed.

"Correct," Xaran said.

Meanwhile, the other three Psycho Rangers had just been subjected to a similar attack. "Obviously," Psycho Red deduced, "that power of theirs can be used to strike us like invisible knives!"

"Give up now, Psycho Rangers," Kanika ordered. "If you do, perhaps I'll see fit to make your end quick and painless. Continue to defy me, and I'll torture you nice and slow before I send you back to the Spirit World!"

"Fuck you," Psycho Red sneered. "We're not giving in. Not to you." As he said those words, he felt a power building inside him, making him forget that he was badly wounded. The power seemed to grow and surround him, warming him like invisible flames.

_Wait,_ he thought. _That's it!_ He willed the fire inside him to concentrate into his palm.

"What the hell is this!" Kokure shouted.

"Phantom Fire Wave!" Psycho Red shouted, shooting the fire in a devastating wave. Kanika quickly warped the air in front of her, Kokure, and her troops in a protective shield, but the Phantom Fire Wave could not be deflected so easily. Even though it was diluted, it was still powerful enough to knock them for a loop.

"I feel it, too," Psycho Black said.

"Yeah, me three," Psycho Blue said.

"Four," Psycho Yellow said.

"Five," Psycho Pink said.

"Let's do this!" Psycho Black shouted. "Vulgar Earth Shaking!" Pointing his palm at the ground, he shot a powerful wave of energy through the earth that knocked the Kirai forces off their feet.

"Bizarre Ice Crystals!" Psycho Blue shouted, firing icy crystalline needles at them.

"Sofia Lightning Strike!" Psycho Yellow shouted, firing yellow lightning bolts.

"Jealous Rose Petals!" Psycho Pink shouted, firing a storm of dark pink rose petals.

"Let's do it together!" Psycho Red shouted. Gathering their newfound energies in a final strike, they shouted, "Twisted Element!"

Fire, earth, ice, lightning, and flowers together attacked the Kirai forces. In a powerful explosion, they were brought down.

"They're beaten," Psycho Red said. He turned to walk away. "Let's go."

The other four Psychos followed their red leader. "Exchange!" they all shouted, powering down to human form.

Out of all of defeated Kirai forces, Yuna was the only one to struggle to her feet. "This isn't over," she groaned. She raised her glaive, and threw it at Kaitlyn's back blade first, aiming for her heart. Unfortunately for her, someone had also gotten up, and taken the glaive for her.

Kaitlyn whirled in shock and found Tsukimaru impaled from back to front by the glaive. All else forgotten, she ran to his side. "Tsukimaru!"

"What's going on?" Darien asked. "He actually . . . protected her?"

"Kaitlyn . . ." Tsukimaru, powered down from his armored state, struggled to say. "I . . ."

"Save your strength," Kaitlyn said. "We'll get help. . . ."

"Don't worry about me," Tsukimaru said. "Kaitlyn, I think I . . ."

He couldn't say anymore, because an angry Kanika warped herself, Kokure, Yuna, Xaran, and him out of the quarry.

Kaitlyn shuddered. Then she looked to the sky and cried out . . .

"Tsukimaru!"

To be continued . . .

Next: Every cloud has a silver lining, even if it's a little twisted.


	5. Silver Eclipse

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book One: "Twisted Rebirth"

Chapter 5: "Silver Eclipse"

Disclaimer: The Psycho Rangers, Zordon, and Dimitria are utterly not mine. Everything else in this story is.

Author's note: That time has come. The time when a Ranger team must bolster its ranks with a sixth warrior. Why should the Psycho Rangers be any different?

The Psycho Rangers and their human hosts had seen something utterly unprecedented in their respective experiences. An enemy sacrificing himself to protect one he should have killed.

Kaitlyn Blackwell was on her knees in the battlefield that had just been vacated by the Kirai warriors. She was in shock, tears silently streaming down her face. Kieran placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Kait," he said. "We'll figure it out. And we'll find a way to save Tsukimaru."

"What?" Darien asked. "_Save_ him? I thought we were supposed to take him and his buddies down!"

"Are you a freaking moron, Darien?" Faith asked. "Is your short-term memory somehow incapable of functioning? He just saved Kaitlyn's life!"

"And how do we know it wasn't really some kind of trick?" Darien retorted hotly. "For all we know, Kaitlyn could never really have been in danger at all and that was all just a show to make her trust him!"

"What is wrong with you?" Faith asked. "I know it doesn't fit with anything he's done so far, but do you really think he's that devious?"

"Darien has a point," Liam said calmly. "Who really knows what Tsukimaru is capable of doing?"

"You two are forgetting an important fact," Kieran said.

"And what's that?" Darien asked.

"Tsukimaru's powers over time and space allow him to move at speeds greater than even our Psycho selves can move," Kieran replied. "So if he really wanted to trick her into trusting him, he could've very well just warped that glaive someplace else. Instead, he chose to throw himself upon its blade. I get the feeling that these people aren't ones to put so much on the line when the risk-to-reward ratio is so obviously low."

"Never mind," Faith said. "We're not gonna figure out what the hell Tsukimaru did what he did for by standing around here arguing."

"You're right," Kieran said. The five Rangers teleported back to the Neji Chamber.

* * *

"I saw what just transpired," Dimitria said in her calm, ethereal voice. "And I can tell you right now that Tsukimaru's sacrifice was an act of love."

"Love?" Darien echoed.

"Yes, Darien, love," Dimitria confirmed. "Tsukimaru loved Kaitlyn, so much so that he gave his own life for her."

"He's . . . dead?" Kaitlyn asked, her voice dead.

"We do not know that for certain," Dimitria said. "But the Kirai are not very forgiving of disloyalty. In fact, disloyalty is a capital offense on their world."

"Then he really is dead, isn't he?" Liam conjectured. "They're not going to kill him for saving Kaitlyn, are they? They're going to kill him because he loves her."

"You would be very much correct," Dimitria said. "The Kirai are notoriously xenophobic as well. Any sexual relations with other races, outside the context of rape or what you would call white slavery, are seen as an atrocity in their eyes."

"So not only are the Kirai planet-sucking freaks, they're also racist bastards," Faith summarized.

"What will they do . . . to him?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Do you truly want to know?" Dimitria asked, concern and regret in her voice.

"Yes," Kaitlyn replied. "I need to know what I have to save him from."

"He will be tortured," Dimitria replied. "The kind of torture that will not only wound his body, but shatter his spirit. The Kirai have mastered tricks of torture in decades that took even the evilest of warlords, including Lord Zedd, centuries to learn. Unless he is saved quickly, he will be a shell of his former self. Then, at the apex of their torture, they will kill him."

"How?" Kaitlyn asked, repressed terror in her voice.

"They will drain him of the psychic force that gives him and all other Kirai their power," Dimitria said. "You see, the Kirai are extremely powerful psychics, but with different strengths. Some possess the power of telekinesis, or the ability to move objects with the force of their thoughts. Then there are telepaths, capable of reading, communicating with, and manipulating the minds of others."

"Making them see or believe anything they want them to," Kieran deduced.

"Yes," Dimitria confirmed. "Through that power, they can control people's minds, making them do whatever they wish them to do. The most dangerous of their powers is the power of astral projection."

"You mean they can extend their minds beyond the confines of their physical bodies and thus travel wherever they want," Kieran deduced.

"And in this way, they can attack from very far away," Dimitria added.

"You're saying that if they wanted to, they could just sit in that warship of theirs and kill us from there?" Darien asked.

"That is exactly what astral projection enables them to do," Dimitria confirmed.

"We are so screwed!" Darien declared. "If these freaks can use their psychic powers to sense us, then what the hell's to stop them from astral-projecting right into our bedrooms and killing us in our sleep?"

"They haven't done that yet," Liam said.

"Dare's got a point," Faith said. "We're up against people who can _literally_ kill us whenever the hell they want."

"Liam has a point, too," Kieran said. "They can most likely do that, but they haven't."

"I don't care," Kaitlyn said in a low and determined voice. "I don't care if their minds can follow us to the ends of the earth and kill us. We're going to get on that ship, and we're going to save Tsukimaru."

"We know we gotta do that, but how?" Faith asked. "We can't take them by surprise, obviously; the last time we busted onto that ship, they knew we were on it. Hell, they already knew we were coming."

"It doesn't matter," Kaitlyn snarled. "We're going to get Tsukimaru off that ship and we're going to do it if it takes everything we've got!"

"I agree with you both," Kieran said. "We all know we gotta get Tsukimaru away from those bastards, but we also know that we can't go busting in without a plan."

"Here's a plan: We take the Slider Bikes in slider mode to the Kirai warship, thrash everyone who gets in our way, and get Tsukimaru out," Kaitlyn said tersely.

"That's no plan," Kieran objected. "That's just blind violence. We're not going to accomplish a thing that way."

"Then I'm going alone," Kaitlyn said. She raised the wrist that bore her Psycho Morpher. "Psycho Spirit Ex . . ."

Kieran grabbed her right wrist, stopping her from activating the morpher. "Get a grip on yourself, Kaitlyn. I know you're angry and you want Tsukimaru out of there badly. But I also know that if we don't have a working strategy, we'll end up dying with him."

Kaitlyn glared at him, her hostile hazel eyes burning into his violet-blue ones.

"I suggest the five of you take some time away from here to collect yourselves and prepare a strategy," Dimitria said.

"We can't wait," Kaitlyn said, her voice calmer but smoldering with restrained fury.

"We must," Dimitria said.

The five Rangers teleported out of the Neji Chamber. It was at that moment that Zordon's spectral form appeared to Dimitria.

"It is time, Dimitria," he said. "Time to bring out our secret weapon."

"Yes, but who shall wield such power?" Dimitria asked.

"You know full well who shall be the wielder of this weapon," Zordon replied.

* * *

On the Kirai warship, Tsukimaru's arms were chained above his head to the ceiling of the torture chamber. He sat there, waiting, his wound already almost completely healed. Such was the wonder of a Kirai's physiology. It wasn't that different from a human's physiology, except for the fact that the functions of a Kirai's body were far faster than those of a human's. For example, their bodies metabolized nearly 100 of the nutrients in food. This left hardly any room for unused fat, which was the reason why Kirai were stronger and faster than humans; they just didn't have as much fat slowing them down. Another result of their hyperactive metabolism was that they healed much faster than humans, so any wounds that would be fatal to a human would be a nasty inconvenience for them.

Right now, Tsukimaru didn't care much for the advantages that his inhuman physiology gave him. In fact, he hated himself for being born into this infernal race of murderous beings. Hell, he hated himself for leading the warriors of this race in the slaughter of innocent people across the galaxies. He'd much rather die than be the creature that he was.

"Oh, really?" a silky feminine voice inquired. "Would you prefer death? If so, I'll only be too happy to help you achieve your desire."

"Yuna," Tsukimaru snarled. "Plan on torturing me?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I plan to do," Yuna replied. "Kanika decided to leave your punishment to me."

She stepped out of the shadows of the torture chamber, and Tsukimaru could see that she wasn't wearing her usual white armor. Instead she was dressed in a white leather corset-style top and thong-style leather bikini bottoms with thigh-high white leather boots and elbow-length gloves. Not to mention the fact that she was carrying a black whip.

"You like?" Yuna asked.

Tsukimaru glared, trying not to evince any sign of exactly how much he liked how that outfit looked on her. Unfortunately, certain other parts weren't as willing to cooperate.

"Of course . . . you'd probably prefer it if I was your precious Kaitlyn," Yuna sneered in low, silky tones. "You didn't go down to that club just to take her energy, did you?"

"So what?" Tsukimaru replied coldly. "She hates me, anyway. And even if she didn't, there's no way her friends will accept me."

"Exactly," Yuna said. "You're a fool for love, but not an idealistic fool. You realize that there's no way you can fit in with them. So why not come back to us?"

"You want me to join you again?" Tsukimaru asked.

Yuna moved until she was so close to him that even the slightest motion would bring their lips together. She reached up and stroked his cheek. "Yes, I do. I want things to be the way they were before."

"Kanika won't stand for that, will she?" Tsukimaru stated. "As long as she is princess, she is supreme ruler on this ship. And we all know that our laws don't allow traitors to escape with their lives."

"That's true, sadly," Yuna said. "I'm afraid she won't let you live. And as her lieutenant, I'm afraid I must obey her. So sad. We could've been so good together."

She kissed him, then, and Tsukimaru could feel everything she was feeling in that kiss. Her hurt, her sorrow, her feeling that he had betrayed her, and . . . her love?

_She loves me?_ Tsukimaru thought. _All this time she loved me, and I didn't even know._ He felt sad, then, sad that he had caused Yuna such heartbreak, for she was very dear to him. Ever since they'd been small children, she'd been dear to him.

His mind drifted back, back to happier times. They were being raised to be two-thirds of the trio that would faithfully serve the Kirai royal family and fight for them. They'd enjoyed playing together and coming up with mock war plans for their toy Kiraikure. Their respective parents and the royals were in awe of their strategic prowess. In fact, the Kiraioh, the King of Kirai, had sworn that once they were old enough, those strategies would yield _real_ results that would bring glory to their planet. In a sense, they were the golden boy and girl of Kirai.

A long time ago, if Yuna had asked him to be her mate, he would have gladly accepted. Not because he was actually in love with her, but he cared about her and wanted her to be happy.

_Perhaps I should have asked you,_ Yuna whispered in his thoughts. _Then we could have been mates. But it's too late, now, I suppose. No worries, Tsuki-koi. You and Kaitlyn will be together in the afterlife. In fact, I plan to personally deliver her to you._

_I don't care what you do to me, Yuna,_ Tsukimaru thought. _But if you touch Kaitlyn, then death will not be nearly enough to stop me from exacting my vengeance on you._

Yuna broke the kiss, fighting back tears. Her jade crystal gaze hardened.

Then the whip struck him.

And the pain began.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn laid facedown on her bed, sobbing into her pillow. It was then that someone knocked on the door.

"Kaitlyn?" her mother asked. "May I come in?"

"Sure," Kaitlyn replied, rising to a sitting position. She wiped away her tears.

Kaitlyn's mother came in. She looked very much like her daughter, except that her skin was tanned a few shades darker than Kaitlyn's. "Would you like to tell me what's wrong?"

Kaitlyn told the story of her tumultuous relationship with Tsukimaru, not mentioning his name or anything that might give away her identity as a Ranger.

"So this boy hurt you, but later he saved you?" her mother asked.

"Yeah," Kaitlyn replied. "At first I thought he was a selfish jerk, just trying to use me. Then his psycho friends tried to kill me, but he saved me from them. He got hurt pretty bad, and now I can't even see him."

Kaitlyn's mother gently stroked her hair. "So this boy's pretty important to you, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Kaitlyn replied. "I wish I could see him again, so we could patch things up. I thought he didn't care about me at all, but it turns out he did and now he's hurt and it's my fault."

"If things really happened as you said, then it's not your fault," her mother contradicted. "What this boy did he did out of love for you." She gave Kaitlyn a kiss on the forehead. "He'll be alright." She stood up and left.

"Yeah," Kaitlyn said to herself. "He'll be alright. He'll be alright because I'll save him."

* * *

Inside the Neji Chamber, Zordon communicated with Dimitria. "It is time. Time to bring forth our greatest weapon."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the torture chamber of the Kirai warship, Yuna was torturing Tsukimaru. Unfortunately for her, he wouldn't scream.

"Am I not punishing you enough?" Yuna asked silkily. "I'd like to hear you scream. So scream for me, love."

Then the torture resumed, even more hellish than it had been to begin with. Suddenly, a silver light engulfed the chamber, blinding Yuna. She raised an arm to protect her eyes from the light, and when it faded . . .

. . . Tsukimaru wasn't there anymore.

Yuna hissed. "Dimitria."

* * *

Needless to say, Kanika wasn't very pleased when she found out. "It figures. Whatever Dimitria and Zordon have planned for Tsukimaru, we all know the first person he'll go to after this is Psycho Yellow's human half."

"You want us to find her and kill her, don't you?" Yuna surmised, back in her white armor.

"Not just her," Kanika replied. "All five of those Psycho Ranger hosts. I'll have all their heads sitting on pikes by the end of this day."

* * *

In the Neji Chamber, Dimitria called the five Rangers. "Come, Rangers. There is something you must be made aware of."

The five Rangers teleported to the Neji Chamber. "Yeah, Dimitria?" Liam asked.

"I received an incoming message from the Kirai," Dimitria replied.

"What?" Faith asked. "How?"

"Through telepathy," Dimitria replied. "They believe that we have Tsukimaru with us."

"How can that be?" Kieran asked.

"I don't know," Dimitria lied.

"Well, we'll take care of them anyway," Kaitlyn said.

"Psycho Spirit Exchange!" the five Rangers shouted, morphing.

* * *

The Psychos met the Kirai in the warehouse district of the city. "You really think we have Tsukimaru?" Psycho Red asked.

Yuna said nothing to him; just glared at Psycho Yellow. "You took him from me twice! No more! You want him so badly? You can see him in hell!" That said, she drew her glaive and charged at Psycho Yellow.

Psycho Yellow drew her sling and fired at Yuna. Meanwhile, Xaran took on Psycho Blue and Psycho Black. Kanika fought Psycho Red, and Kokure fought Psycho Pink.

The fight between Psycho Yellow and Yuna was fierce. Yuna slashed and stabbed at Psycho Yellow, who blocked and retaliated with blasts from the Psycho Sling.

"He was supposed to be mine!" Yuna snarled, furiously striking Yellow with her Kirai Glaive.

Psycho Yellow got up, sneering. "Perhaps you just weren't his type. He might have a preference for nice human girls, actually, as opposed to psychotic bitches from his own planet."

"Bitch!" Yuna screamed and struck again. This time, Yellow grabbed the glaive and held it.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" Yellow mocked. "Perhaps it burns you that a pathetic human girl could do what you, a great Kirai warrior, couldn't: win Tsukimaru's heart."

Yuna struggled to free her glaive from Yellow's death-grip. "You want this?" Yellow asked in a mock-solicitous tone. "Then take it! Sofia Lightning Strike!" She sent a wave of yellow electricity through the Kirai Glaive, striking Yuna.

"You're not beating me again, Psycho Pink!" Kokure shouted, lashing with her Kiraihime Whip. Said whip wrapped around Pink's throat, and Kokure tugged it in such a way that it tightened around her captive's neck like a choke collar. "Looks like you're in a tight spot, huh?"

The twisted Pink Ranger merely reached up to grab the end of the whip that was currently wrapped around her throat.

"Trying to free yourself?" Kokure asked. "That whip will only release you when _I_ want to release you."

Psycho Pink merely laughed.

"What's going on?" Kokure asked. "What's so funny? Stop that snickering!"

Psycho Pink grabbed the end of the whip wrapped around her throat and sent a charge of emerald electricity through the whip, shocking Kokure into releasing her.

"Shock to your system, isn't it?" Pink sneered.

Kanika and Psycho Red clashed swords. Kanika seemed to have the advantage in the fight so far, but the twisted Red Ranger was far from ready to give up.

Kanika's Kiraihime Rapier glowed blood red and in a sudden flurry of motion, she slashed Psycho Red from front to back.

"Did you like that, Psycho Red?" Kanika asked.

Psycho Red rose to his feet. "Good. But check out mine." His Psycho Sword blazed with unholy fire. "Psycho Sword, Phantom Fire Slash!"

Moving at what seemed like the speed of light Psycho Red slashed Kanika with the black-and-red sword that was his signature weapon. At the last minute, just as he was about to strike the killing blow, Kanika blocked and pierced him with a warped-air blade.

Xaran was handling Psycho Blue and Psycho Black with relative ease. The two twisted Rangers fought their hardest, but they were barely holding their own against the Kirai lieutenant. Psycho Blue spun around Xaran at super-speed, striking him with the Psycho Axe. He stopped and slashed the air, firing icy blue crescents of energy.

"Psycho Axe, Bizarre Ice Slash!"

The icy crescents struck Xaran, wounding him seriously. Psycho Black followed up with a strike from his Psycho Rod.

Xaran, having had enough, retaliated. He warped the air, vanishing into it, then reappearing above the two Psychos, striking them fast and furious with the Kirai Staff.

As for Yuna and Kokure, they had regained their footing and struck back against the twisted Yellow and Pink Rangers. Now all five Psychos were left struggling.

* * *

In a secret underground chamber beneath the Neji Chamber, Dimitria and Zordon worked. "We must finish this quickly if the Psycho Rangers are to have any hope of emerging victorious," Dimitria said.

"Do not worry, Dimitria," Zordon replied. "We are almost finished."

And just what were they working on? It was a suit of armor, which features were obscured by bright silver light.

"Now, install the gems," Zordon ordered.

Dimitria placed a gem in the left gauntlet of the armor, and the gem glowed silver before melting into the gauntlet. She placed another gem in the right gauntlet and the process repeated itself. A third gem found itself resting on the left boot of the armor and then melting into it. The fourth gem melted into the right boot, and the final gem melted into the armor's helmet. The armor glowed a bright silver color, further obscuring its features, and then the glow began to die down.

"The process is complete," Dimitria stated.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Psycho Rangers were barely on their feet, the four Kirai advancing on them.

"You've fought well, Psycho Rangers," Kanika said, "and I commend you for that. Unfortunately, you have crossed us far too many times and now it must end. _You_ must end. Any last words?"

Just as Psycho Red was about to make a defiantly heroic retort, he was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass one floor above them. A second later, something sailed down toward the floor of the warehouse from the second floor. It looked very much like the Psycho Rangers' Slider Bikes, only black and silver. And the rider definitely looked like a Psycho Ranger.

"Auraslider, slider mode!" the "Psycho Ranger" shouted. Suddenly, the Auraslider converted from its bike mode to its slider mode.

"Get him!" Kanika ordered. All four Kirai warriors fired warped-air blades at the mysterious warrior, but he dodged them with ease. He jumped off the Auraslider and landed with a somersault.

Now that he wasn't moving, the Psycho Rangers definitely could see that he was dressed very much like one of them. His armor was black, with white wrist guards and knee guards, along with a white belt and collar. The torso armor and helmet were trimmed in silver, the apparent identifying color of this warrior.

Kanika sneered. "Let me guess. You're another punk human Zordon and Dimitria saw fit to endow with Ranger powers."

"I'm far from being a punk," Psycho Silver replied, his voice twisted and mechanical like the other Psychos but oddly familiar. "Wanna try me?"

Kanika pointed her rapier at the twisted Silver Ranger. Kokure held her whip in a manner suggesting she was ready to strike. Yuna and Xaran pointed their glaive and staff respectively at him.

"I think I'm going to need my own weapon," Psycho Silver said. He extended his arm and a weapon that looked like a silver sword-blade melted onto a silvery gun handle appeared on it. "Psycho Blazer!"

"Let's begin," Kanika said.

Psycho Silver shifted into a fighting stance. "Let's."

The four Kirai warriors charged at Psycho Silver, all of them striking with their weapons in quick succession. Silver merely seemed to vanish from sight, then one blur of motion later, all four were lying flat on their backs.

"What the hell was that?" Psycho Blue asked. "I didn't even see him move!"

"Neither did I," Psycho Black concurred.

"How did he move so fast!" Xaran asked, rising again.

The Kirai women rose as well. "Where is he?" Kokure asked.

"Right here," Psycho Silver's voice said from somewhere above them, and a microsecond later, Psycho Silver himself jumped down and slashed at the Kirai with super-fast strikes. He jumped back and held his left hand to the tip of his Psycho Blazer, then slashed said hand down the blade. Sparks exploded from the Kirai warriors' armor and they collapsed.

However, it seemed that they had endurance and determination to match the new Psycho Ranger's strength. They just got up again.

"You want more?" Silver asked, sneering. "Fine. Have some more!" He ran at them, firing silver energy blasts out of his Psycho Blazer. Once he got up close, the blade was charged with silver electricity and he slashed all four in a zigzag pattern.

"I've had enough of you!" Kokure shouted, and struck with her whip. Silver merely let it wrap around the Psycho Blazer's blade, then pulled her up close for a vicious knee jab to the stomach and followed up with a hard karate chop to her spine.

"Imouto!" Kanika shouted.

"I'll live, oneesan," Kokure replied.

Kanika looked up into the helmet of Psycho Silver. "You miserable bastard!" She charged at Silver with her rapier, ready to spill his blood on the warehouse floor. Silver blocked her attack, but she wasn't quite finished with him yet. In an unexpected move, she slashed him in a pentagram-style pattern. Then she reached into the center of her pentagram and punched him hard.

Psycho Silver was taken aback at this sudden display of strength.

"Good," he said. "Now let's take this outside!" In a blur of super-speed, he leaped outside the warehouse. Kanika, Xaran, and Yuna followed.

"Now, I want to know," Yuna said. "Who are you?"

"You really want to know, Yuna?" Psycho Silver asked. "Then know you shall. Exchange!"

In a flash of silver, the twisted Silver Ranger was gone . . .

. . . and Tsukimaru stood in his place.

The other five Psycho Rangers had made it outside, just in time to see Tsukimaru demorph from his Psycho Ranger form.

"You!" Yuna screamed. "Now you've done it, you miserable betrayer! You've become one of _them!_"

"Yeah, I have," Tsukimaru replied. "You have some kind of problem with that?"

"Yes, I do," Yuna replied, angry and heartbroken.

"Then bring it on," Tsukimaru invited.

Yuna charged at him in a screaming rage. Tsukimaru blocked her attacks. She tried to stab him with the Kirai Glaive, but he sidestepped the attack and knocked her feet out from under her. Yuna recovered with a flip and was back on her feet, ready to fight again.

"I can't let you do it, Yuna," Tsukimaru replied. "I can't let you destroy this planet."

"What led to the change of heart, Tsuki?" Yuna asked. "Oh, wait. I know. Kaitlyn!"

"Her heart is pure and good," Tsukimaru replied. "Yours is blackened with hate and evil. After all, isn't the honey of the bees sweeter than the venom of a cobra?"

Yuna snarled. "This isn't over, Tsukimaru! Mark my words! You and your precious slut will pay! With your lives!" That said, Yuna, Xaran, Kokure, and Kanika teleported away.

"Is that really you, Tsukimaru?" Psycho Yellow asked.

"Yeah," Tsukimaru replied, smiling. "It's me."

It was definitely Tsukimaru. The same violet-highlighted black hair tied in a long, thin ponytail. The same dazzling golden eyes. He wasn't dressed in his Kirai armor anymore. Instead, he was wearing a black T-shirt over a long-sleeved gray shirt and baggy black pants with pockets everywhere.

"Exchange!" the five Psycho Rangers shouted, reverting to their human selves.

Kaitlyn smiled. "Welcome to the Psycho Rangers, Tsukimaru."

"I humbly accept your welcome," Tsukimaru replied. Kaitlyn just gave him a strong hug.

End Book One

Book Two: The war between the Psycho Rangers and the Kirai has taken a dramatic new turn. The Psycho Rangers have a new ally, but the Kirai are not through with them yet. In fact, this war's about to go into overtime.


	6. Hateful Reflection

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book Two: "Twisted Element"

Chapter 1: "Hateful Reflection"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers do not belong to me. The concept of Psycho Silver is not mine, but his civilian form is.

Author's note: As any Power Rangers fan who's seen PRIS from beginning to end or at least didn't miss the second half of the series knows, the Psycho Rangers were originally created to be evil counterparts of the Space Rangers. But now it's time they got a little taste of their own medicine. And they're going to get it. Also, there's a brief reference to events in Ninja Storm, specifically the "Thunder Strangers" arc.

To explain the use of Japanese in the last chapter, I imagine that the language of the Kirai is derived from Japanese. In that language, people usually add "koi" to a lover's name. "Imouto" means "little sister" and "oneesan" means "big sister."

The previous day had not been a good day for the Kirai at all. Tsukimaru had betrayed them for love of Kaitlyn Blackwell, the host of Psycho Yellow. Even worse, he had become a Psycho Ranger himself, Psycho Silver to be precise.

This was very, very bad. With Tsukimaru on the Rangers' side, the scales would tip in their favor.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Xaran asked. "The Psycho Rangers have increased their ranks by one, and our ranks have been decreased by one."

"And we all know who that one is," Kokure spat.

"Poor, poor Tsukimaru," Kanika said in mockingly apologetic tones. "He had so much promise. Too bad he squandered it on the love of a human whore."

"Of course, now we have to kill him," Yuna said. "The laws are clear. Anyone who commits treason against the ruling body of Kirai must be put to death."

"And Kokure and I are the princesses of Kirai," Kanika added. "Therefore, as long as we are on this ship, we represent the ruling body of Kirai. I explicitly described our objective: to take Earth's life force and kill anyone who gets in our way. The Psychos got in our way, so we were supposed to destroy them. Tsukimaru saved one of them, though, and that goes against our objective and against my commands. Therefore, he committed treason and thus must be executed."

"But he's under the protection of the other five Psycho Rangers," Xaran said. "And we've seen how strong they can be when they act in concert. We need a plan, if we're going to get all six of them."

"A plan," Kanika said to herself. "Xaran, you're very much right. We do need a plan. I'm very willing to take suggestions, by the way."

"Do you study the legends and history of our people?" Yuna asked.

"That is a very foolish question, Yuna," Kanika replied. "As Kirai no Hime, I was educated in the legends and history of our people."

"All right," Yuna said. "Then you no doubt possess knowledge of five of the greatest warriors of our people."

"Ah, yes," Kokure said. "They were powerful, fierce, and unstoppable. Together, they cut a swath of death and destruction throughout the galaxies. Until _they_ came along. Power Rangers."

"Yes," Kanika said. "There were Rangers even then. On the planet Triforia, six Triforian warriors and one Triforian princess the ancestor of Prince Trey tapped into the powers of the Rainbow Crystals, creating seven Power Rangers. A Red Ranger, an Orange Ranger, a Yellow Ranger, a Green Ranger, a Blue Ranger, an Indigo Ranger, and a Purple Ranger. Together, these seven were able to defeat those warriors."

"What's the point of knowing this?" Xaran asked. "They're long dead now, so what purpose does this tale serve?"

Kanika walked over to a panel and pressed a combination of buttons on the keypad. The panel slid back to reveal a gold-embroidered black box. She removed the box and walked back to Kokure and the two remaining lieutenants. Then she opened it to reveal five gems, each aligned at one point on a pentagram.

Each gem had a different color: blood red, jet black, sapphire blue, golden yellow, and rose pink.

"What are those gems?" Yuna asked.

"These gems are our key to defeating the Psycho Rangers once and for all," Kanika replied. She smiled evilly.

* * *

Meanwhile, the six Psycho Rangers were gathered in the Neji Chamber.

"How did Tsukimaru become a Psycho Ranger?" Darien asked.

"Let me explain from the beginning," Dimitria said. "When Zordon came to me to bring you five and the Psycho Rangers together, he also set a plan that included the creation of a sixth Ranger. We already had the needed equipment to create one."

"And what was that?" Liam asked.

"In the Cavern of Lost Souls rested the Gem of Souls, a gem with incredible power locked inside it," Dimitria explained. "Driven by rage and hatred for a crime they mistakenly attributed to an innocent ninja master, two powerful ninja warriors attempted to use the gem's power for revenge. When they discovered the truth, they then used the Gem of Souls to defend their former enemies from an evil warlord. In doing so, the gem was shattered into five pieces and those pieces were thrown into the sea to prevent them from ever falling into the hands of those who would misuse their power. It was child's play to retrieve the gem fragments ourselves."

"And you infused their power into Tsukimaru and made him a Ranger," Faith concluded.

"Yes," Dimitria replied. "Look at Tsukimaru's left wrist." Tsukimaru held up his left wrist for display, revealing a device that looked like a Psycho Morpher, only silver-white and gold instead of black and silver. "The weapon he wields now is the Auramorpher, which will enable him to transform into Psycho Silver. His powers, joined with yours, will enable you to triumph over the Kirai."

"Cool," Darien said. "I'm not too sure about this, but hey everyone needs a second chance, right?"

"Right," Kieran said. "Zordon and Dimitria gave our Psycho selves a chance to redeem themselves, so Tsukimaru ought to have one, too."

"And I bet we all know who'd love having him around," Faith said in a teasing voice. She winked at Kaitlyn for emphasis. Kaitlyn just rolled her eyes, trying to feign nonchalance.

"In the meantime, Tsukimaru, I suggest you try to get accustomed to Earth," Dimitria said. "You'll be here for some time."

* * *

Tsukimaru shrugged and teleported out in a ball of silver light. He reemerged in a shadowed corner of a street, unnoticed by anyone. He walked down the street and found a Dairy Queen. Curious, he walked over to it.

"Excuse me, sir," he asked the cashier, "but what kinds of dairy do you sell around here?"

"The only dairy you'll find here is ice cream, kid," the cashier replied.

"Sorry," Tsukimaru said. "I'm from . . . another place. I never got a chance to eat ice cream."

"That's sad," the cashier said. "Nobody should go without ice cream. Today's your lucky day. What kind do you want?"

"I'll go for the white ice cream," Tsukimaru replied, "if you can put those colored things in it."

"Which colored things, the sprinkles or the M&Ms?" the cashier asked. "And by the way, the white ice cream is vanilla flavor."

Tsukimaru looked carefully at both. One set of "colored things" had the letter _m_ emblazoned on each one. Who knew how to describe the other?

"I'll have the M&Ms," Tsukimaru replied.

"All right," the cashier replied. "But you can only put M&Ms in your ice cream if you intend to take it in a cup. If you take the sprinkles, you can put it in a cup or cone."

"I'll try sprinkles with a cone," Tsukimaru decided.

"What size: small, medium, or large?" the cashier asked.

"Medium sounds good," Tsukimaru replied after some deliberation.

"All right," the cashier conceded. Within only a minute or so, Tsukimaru had an ice cream cone in his hands. "The price is 2.75."

Tsukimaru was on the verge of despair. He had no money to pay the cashier with!

Just then, a slender tanned hand laid three 1 bills on the counter. "I believe that covers it," a soft, familiar female voice said.

Tsukimaru turned and found Kaitlyn standing there next to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kaitlyn replied.

Just then, the cashier interrupted with, "Hey, you two make a cute couple."

"Thanks, but we're not a couple," Kaitlyn said.

"Oh," the cashier said. "Sorry."

"Thank you for the ice cream," Tsukimaru replied. He and Kaitlyn departed.

"Ice cream's good," Kaitlyn said as they walked down the street. "But don't eat it too fast you'll get brain freeze that way."

"Thank you for that advice," Tsukimaru replied. He licked his ice cream. "This tastes good." He licked again, savoring its flavor.

Kaitlyn watched him intently as his tongue licked the sprinkle-covered vanilla ice cream. She knew it was perfectly innocent, but she couldn't help but find herself becoming turned on by the sight. Briefly, she wondered just how good he would be with his tongue when they were alone together.

_Snap out of it, girl!_ she yelled at herself. _He's a fellow Ranger, nothing more._

_Why shouldn't he be?_ Psycho Yellow asked. _You love him and he obviously loves you, so why not allow yourself to indulge in your fantasies?_

Tsukimaru apparently sensed her distress, because he asked, "Is something the matter, Kaitlyn?"

"No," Kaitlyn lied. "Nothing at all."

"Ok," Tsukimaru replied, in a tone that suggested he knew she was lying but wasn't willing to press the issue. He continued licking his ice cream, while Kaitlyn continued secretly watching him.

_Like a happy little kid,_ Kaitlyn thought to herself.

_Yes, he's quite naïve about some things, isn't he?_ Psycho Yellow replied. _And you're just the teacher he needs._ She chuckled naughtily. _Perhaps, if you like role-play, you could do just that with him._

_Yellow!_ Kaitlyn shouted. _Since when did you get to be such a pervert?_

_Pervert? No,_ Yellow replied. _I'm just not shy, and I don't get why humans are shy. It's perfectly natural, and it's something practically every species in this universe does._

Suddenly, Kaitlyn's morpher bleeped. She and Tsukimaru ducked into a shadowed corner of a building. She answered. "Kaitlyn here."

"Kait, there's an attack going on downtown," Faith replied. "Not that far from you and Tsukimaru not if you go Psycho."

"Got it," Kaitlyn said. "Join up with me and Tsukimaru as soon as you can."

"We're already on the way," Faith replied. "Faith out."

"Kaitlyn out," Kaitlyn said. The communicator link shut off on both ends. "Ready, Tsukimaru?"

"Whenever you are," the former Kirai lieutenant in question replied, holding up something that looked like a golden key.

"Psycho Spirit Exchange!" Kaitlyn shouted.

"Twisted Aura Exchange!" Tsukimaru shouted.

Both Rangers inserted their keys into their morphers and transformed in flashes of yellow and silver.

* * *

By the time Psycho Silver and Psycho Yellow arrived downtown, the plaza was already deserted. However, it looked like it had only been very recently vacated, and that everyone had been in a fearful rush when they left. Both Psycho Rangers were familiar with this type of scene, as both of them had caused it enough times before.

"We're not alone," Psycho Silver said.

"Duh," Psycho Yellow replied.

Suddenly, purple-black lightning struck the ground in front of the two Psychos and they jumped out of the way.

"What the hell was that!" Psycho Yellow asked.

"Probably the same person, or persons, who were responsible for evacuating the plaza," Psycho Silver replied.

"Give the genius a prize," a mocking voice said in the smoke created by the lightning.

"Try 'definitely,'" another mocking voice, female this time, said.

"Why don't you show yourselves?" Psycho Silver asked.

The smoke receded, and five leather-clad figures were made visible. They were all dressed in Ranger-like suits and helmets, each having a particular color of his or her own. The apparent leader was dressed in blood red, and the other two males were in jet-black and sapphire blue. There were two females, one in golden yellow and the other in rose pink. Each suit was trimmed in metallic silver tooth designs on the arms, sides, and legs and had silver-white breastplates and white belts with pentagram buckles.

"Who the hell are you?" Psycho Yellow asked.

"We're the Kirai Rangers," the Red Ranger introduced himself and his team.

"And you're dead," Kirai Pink added.

"Bring it on," Psycho Yellow sneered. "Psycho Sling!"

"Psycho Blazer!" Psycho Silver shouted.

Just then, four streaks of black and another color landed beside Yellow and Silver, revealing themselves as the other Psycho Rangers.

"The gang's all here," Kirai Blue said, chuckling. "Now we can really have some fun!"

"The fun will be one-sided," Psycho Red replied. "Specifically, _we_ will have fun kicking _your_ poser asses! Psycho Sword!"

"Psycho Rod!" Psycho Black shouted.

"Psycho Axe!" Psycho Blue shouted.

"Psycho Arrow!" Psycho Pink shouted.

"Cool weapons," Kirai Yellow sneered.

"But not as cool as ours," Kirai Black added. "You wanna show them what we mean, Red?"

"Let's," Kirai Red said. "Kirai Twin Blade!" He summoned a pair of swords.

"Kirai Double Edge!" Kirai Black shouted, summoning a staff with a black-jeweled serrated silver blade on each end.

"Kirai Tomahawk!" Kirai Blue shouted, summoning his own axe.

"Kirai Slinger!" Kirai Yellow shouted, summoning her own sling.

"Kirai Crossbow!" Kirai Pink shouted, summoning a crossbow.

All eleven Rangers charged into battle against each other, each one matching up with his or her color. Since Silver didn't have a Kirai Ranger counterpart of his own, he joined up with Yellow against Kirai Yellow.

Kirai Red and Psycho Red fought, Psycho Red's one sword clashing with Kirai Red's twin swords. Psycho Red slashed down, and Kirai Red's Twin Blade caught his sword.

"You're good," Kirai Red said. "Unfortunately . . . not as good as me! Kirai Twin Blade, Dark Lightning Strike!" Both blades glowed black as night, with purple sparks and lightning flashing around them. In a hyper-fast motion, he slashed Psycho Red.

The twisted Red Ranger snarled. "You wanna play it like that, tough guy? Fine." His Psycho Sword was ablaze with unholy fire. "Psycho Sword, Phantom Fire Slash!" He struck Kirai Red hexagram-style, slashing him in triangular patterns that overlapped in such a way that they formed a hexagon in the center with a triangle on each side. He drove his flaming sword through the hexagon and pierced Kirai Red.

"I've gotta give you credit for that move, Psycho Red," Kirai Red said. "The speed and precision with which you delivered it was remarkable. Still, the better of the two of us Red Rangers is me. And I'm going to prove why. Kirai Double Blade!" He combined the twin swords into one dual-bladed sword. "Dark Fire Slash!"

He ran around Psycho Red in a figure eight pattern, slashing him again and again with both blades, which blazed with black fire.

Meanwhile, Psycho Black and Kirai Black were fighting furiously, the Psycho Rod and Kirai Double Edge clashing. Psycho Black lunged at Kirai Black with the Rod, intending to pierce him with the blades on its end. Kirai Black merely blocked with the Kirai Double Edge.

"You're strong, Psycho Black," Kirai Black said. "But not stronger than me. Kirai Double Edge, Dark Earth Splitting!" He stabbed the ground with one of the jeweled blades on the Double Edge, and the ground split where he struck it in a line headed for Psycho Black. The twisted Black Ranger jumped into the air, the rumbling earth beneath now denied its prey. "Where are you?"

"Right here!" Psycho Black shouted, landing with a fierce kick to Kirai Black's breastbone. Kirai Black stumbled back and retaliated with a slash from the Double Edge. Psycho Black struck back with a slash from the Psycho Rod.

Psycho Blue's Axe clashed with Kirai Blue's Tomahawk. "Psycho Axe, Bizarre Ice Slash!" He spun around Kirai Blue at super-speed, slashing him with an axe that glowed ice blue. However, in mid-spin, Kirai Blue grabbed him and spun with him, then threw him into a table. As vectors did tend to add to an already-moving body's speed, Psycho Blue found himself crashing past the table, through several other tables, and through the plate-glass window of a café.

The twisted Blue Ranger got up and dusted himself off as the patrons stared at him in amazement. "Nothing to see here," he said and leaped out through the window in a black-and-blue blur.

"Back for more, I see," Kirai Blue sneered. "Fine. Have some more! Kirai Tomahawk, Dark Freeze Slash!" The tomahawk glowed with cold black energy, and he slashed Psycho Blue with it, in the exact style as Psycho Blue's original attack.

Kirai Yellow fought Psycho Yellow and Psycho Silver. Kirai Yellow fired her sling at Psycho Yellow, who retaliated with her Psycho Sling. Psycho Silver blocked some of Kirai Yellow's attacks with his Psycho Blazer.

"Psycho Sling, Sofia Lightning Strike!" Psycho Yellow shouted, firing yellow lightning out of her sling. The lightning passed right through her, but not phasing "passed through." The lightning _pierced_ her and went out through her back!

"You miserable bitch," Kirai Yellow snarled. "You'll pay for that. Kirai Slinger, Dark Lightning Bolts!" She fired black lightning out of her sling, an attack with enough voltage to seriously cripple her Psycho counterpart. However, it didn't get the chance, as Psycho Silver blocked it.

Silver ran at Kirai Yellow, firing silver energy blasts out of the Psycho Blazer. Then he finished it with a silver lightning-charged slash.

"You didn't have to do that, Silver," Psycho Yellow said.

"That blast might've been seriously crippling," Psycho Silver replied. "Besides, I'm a Ranger, too, so it's my duty to back up my teammates."

"What if I don't want your help?" Psycho Yellow asked defiantly. "I can handle that poser bitch without your help!"

"Fine," Psycho Silver replied coolly, though surprise and anger whirled in his eyes underneath the helmet. "If you don't want my help, I'll just go up there " he pointed up to the roof of the café Psycho Blue had recently unwillingly patronized "and let you and her fight it out by yourselves."

"Go ahead, do that," Psycho Yellow said angrily. "I don't need you anyway."

Psycho Silver silently gave thanks for the helmet that hid his face, allowing him to more easily conceal his rage and hurt. He jumped up onto the roof of the café.

Psycho Pink fired her Psycho Arrow at Kirai Pink, who retaliated with her Kirai Crossbow, which shot out black energy bolts.

"Psycho Arrow, Jealous Rose!" the twisted Pink Ranger shouted, and the Psycho Arrow fired roses with steel-hard stems and dark pink petals. The rose arrows struck Kirai Pink, wounding her.

"Good, Psycho Pink," Kirai Pink said. "But watch this and you may actually learn something." She dematerialized the Kirai Crossbow and pulled out a black rose. "Black Rose Whiplash!" The rose became a thorny whip and she lashed at Psycho Pink with it so fast that it became a near-invisible blur. "And now for the finale! Kirai Crossbow, Dark Rose!"

The Kirai Crossbow fired roses with steel-hard stems and black petals, all of them piercing Psycho Pink.

Meanwhile, Kirai Yellow and Psycho Yellow continued their fight.

"Lovers' quarrel?" Kirai Yellow asked as she fired her Kirai Slinger. Psycho Yellow dodged and fired back.

"What lovers' quarrel?" she asked.

"The one where you told Psycho Silver that you could handle me all by your lonesome and that you didn't need his help," Kirai Yellow replied.

"Well, I don't!" Psycho Yellow snapped back. "Not to handle a weak wench like you!" She fired green lightning out of her Psycho Sling.

Kirai Yellow just smirked under her helmet as the attack hit her. "Good one. There's some fire in you. I like that. I'll snuff it out, but I like it."

"Sofia Lightning Strike!" Psycho Yellow shouted, firing yellow lightning at her Kirai counterpart. "How do you like my fire now?"

Surprisingly enough, Kirai Yellow was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd you go, you sneaky little yellow rat?" Psycho Yellow asked.

Meanwhile, Psycho Silver observed the fight. He saw a feminine figure in yellow leather speeding silently toward Psycho Yellow, preparing for a fatal strike.

At that moment, the twisted Silver Ranger no longer cared that Psycho Yellow didn't want him fighting by her side. He didn't care about anything besides protecting Psycho Yellow, and Kaitlyn by extension.

He leaped down from the café rooftop and pushed Psycho Yellow away, just in time to catch the black lightning that would have killed her. It ripped right through his armor and came out through his back. He fell to his knees, and then collapsed entirely, his suit aglow in a warping silver aura.

"Tsukimaru!" Psycho Yellow shouted. She ran to him.

"You're . . . all right," Psycho Silver said, his voice weak. The warping aura around his suit momentarily consumed him entirely and then was sucked back into him, revealing him in his civilian form.

"Don't you dare die on me, Tsukimaru!" Psycho Yellow shouted, and it was hard to tell if it was her talking or Kaitlyn projecting through her. "Don't you dare die!" She shook him gently. "Stay with me!"

"Isn't that sweet?" Kirai Yellow sneered. "The noble warrior sacrificing his life for his love. It'd be touching if it wasn't so disgusting!"

"You bitch!" Psycho Yellow screamed. She stood up, rage evident in her body posture. "Dimitria, teleport Tsukimaru back to the Neji Chamber!"

"It will be done, Psycho Yellow," Dimitria replied. Tsukimaru's now-unconscious form was teleported away from the plaza in a ball of silver light.

The other four Psychos joined Psycho Yellow. "You're going to pay for what you've done," Psycho Yellow declared.

"He should've known what happens when you betray the Kirai for the love of an alien whore," Kirai Yellow replied.

"Damn straight," Kirai Pink agreed.

"You're going down!" Psycho Red shouted. Green lightning gathered in his hands, as in the hands of the other four Psycho Rangers.

Purple-black lightning gathered in the hands of the Kirai Rangers.

"Jade Lightning Attack!" the Psychos shouted.

"Dark Lightning Attack!" the Kirai Rangers shouted.

Both lightning attacks collided forcefully with each other, resulting in an energy backlash that knocked both teams of Rangers off their feet. The Psycho Rangers got up, spoiling to finish what the Kirai Rangers had started.

The Kirai Rangers got up as well, but they weren't as eager as the Psychos.

"You're good, Psychos," Kirai Red said. "But we'll beat you. And we've already drawn first blood. Our hand has already wounded your sixth member, supposedly the strongest Psycho Ranger in existence. You remaining five should be easy pickings."

"We'll see," Psycho Blue retorted.

"Yes, we will," Kirai Blue sneered. "Later." He and the other Kirai Rangers vanished in a warp.

"We'd better get back to the chamber," Psycho Pink said.

"Yeah," Psycho Red agreed. The five Psychos teleported to the Neji Chamber in multicolored balls of light.

* * *

"How is he, Dimitria?" Psycho Yellow asked.

"He will be all right, Psycho Yellow," Dimitria replied. "His recovery is progressing very rapidly, but that is not unusual for a Kirai, as they heal much faster than humans." She looked at the twisted Yellow Ranger with concern in her dark eyes. "Something is troubling you, isn't it?"

"I told him I didn't need his help," Psycho Yellow replied. "I told him that I could handle Kirai Yellow on my own and I didn't need him. But he threw himself in front of her attack for me. That's twice now he's sacrificed himself for my and Kaitlyn's sake." If she could, Psycho Yellow would be on the verge of tears. "And I treated him horribly."

"Don't worry," Psycho Red said. "Tsukimaru will be all right. He protected you because he cares about you, because he loves you."

"No, he doesn't," Psycho Yellow replied. "He loves Kaitlyn. I'm just an extension of her."

"That is not true," Dimitria said. "You are not an extension of Kaitlyn, and Kaitlyn is not an extension of the morpher that holds your power and essence. You are two sides of the same coin, one and the same."

"Who the hell were those guys?" Psycho Black asked.

"The Kirai Rangers," Dimitria replied.

"Kirai Rangers?" Psycho Pink echoed.

"The Kirai Rangers were five of Kirai's most powerful warriors," Dimitria explained. "They were powerful, relentless, and unstoppable. That is, until six Triforian warriors and the Triforian princess the ancestor of Prince Trey, the Gold Ranger accessed the Rainbow Crystals and transformed themselves into Power Rangers. The good powers that the crystals had given them were strong enough to conquer the evil powers of the Kirai Rangers, and the Kirai Rangers were sealed away. Kanika must have possessed the gems their souls were sealed in and restored them to physical form."

"Those punks were fierce," Psycho Blue said. "They nearly killed us."

"Kanika must have become desperate to defeat you," Dimitria said. "The Kirai Rangers were most likely her trump card, in case she and her warriors were unable to defeat you themselves."

Psycho Yellow stared forward, and if anyone had been able to see her eyes past the visor of her helmet, they would have seen a cold murderous rage in them. "They'll pay for what they've done to Tsukimaru. All of them."

To be continued . . .

Next: Faith and Kaitlyn have a girls' night out, and find another pair of girls who just wanna have fun, but they're not so nice.


	7. Nasty Girls

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book Two: "Twisted Element"

Chapter 2: "Nasty Girls"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers are not mine at all. Psycho Silver is only half mine, as I came up with the idea for his civilian form, but his Ranger form in Power Rangers in Space was only a disguise for Zhane, the Silver Ranger. Everything else is strictly mine.

Author's note: As you may have noticed, the plot of "Psycho Matrix" is more linear than those of most PR series. I was inspired by cmar's A/U retelling of the Time Force series, so keep in mind that every chapter will be geared toward the main plot. No miscellaneous one-shots that don't actually advance the plot or development of the characters here.

Having resumed control of her body, Kaitlyn went down to the infirmary to see Tsukimaru. True to what Dimitria had said, he was recovering quite nicely. By the end of the day, no one would be able to tell he'd been injured at all.

"Hey, Kait," Tsukimaru said, smiling wryly.

"Hey yourself, Tsuki," Kaitlyn replied. She pulled up a chair next to him.

"Did you get 'em?" Tsukimaru asked.

"The Kirai Rangers?" Kaitlyn deduced. "It came to a standstill, and the Kirai Rangers left. Figured they'd beaten us up enough and didn't feel like doing anymore."

"I'm sorry," Tsukimaru said.

"Why?" Kaitlyn asked. "For trying to protect me and Yellow? Nothing you should be sorry for, really. Not your fault she's so stubborn."

"I understand," Tsukimaru said. "It's hard, isn't it, learning how to let yourself trust others to help you."

"But she and the other Psychos worked together long before being merged with us," Kaitlyn contended.

"Yeah, but she was never particularly close to them then, and she still isn't now," Tsukimaru replied.

Kaitlyn took Tsukimaru's hand. "She really does regret what happened to you, though."

"I know," Tsukimaru said. He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it. Kaitlyn blushed a faint pink. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Kaitlyn said. "I'm actually flattered."

Tsukimaru smiled, blushing slightly.

Meanwhile, on the Kirai warship, Kanika had brought Kokure, her lieutenants, and the Kirai Rangers together.

"You did a good job today, Kirai Rangers," Kanika said.

"Thank you, Princess Kanika," Kirai Red replied, bowing humbly.

"We did more than good," Kirai Pink said. "We beat them shitless!"

"And did you see what I did to the traitor?" Kirai Yellow added in maliciously gleeful tones. "Oh, that was just too glorious, how Psycho Yellow was practically crying over him!"

"Yes, I did see," Kanika replied.

Yuna was grateful for the helmet that hid her face. That way, no one else on this ship could see the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes.

"It's his own fault, Yuna," Kokure sneered. "He chose to throw in with the Rangers, so he will just have to share their fate."

Kirai Blue chuckled nastily. "Don't tell me you're actually in love with that traitor."

It was then that Yuna lost her temper. She withdrew the Kirai Glaive and viciously slashed the hateful Blue Ranger.

"Miserable bitch!" Kirai Blue snarled, getting up off the floor. He withdrew his Kirai Tomahawk and moved to strike her with it when an invisible force grabbed them both and slammed them into opposite walls.

"Enough," Kanika snarled. "We do not have time for this infighting nonsense. Now is the time for us to plan our next attack." She smiled. "Kirai Rangers, do you remember if you ever had a sixth member?"

"Yes, we remember having a sixth," Kirai Black said. "After we were defeated, the gem she was sealed in was shattered by the Prism Rangers and its pieces were scattered throughout the universe."

"Terrific," Xaran muttered. "Just terrific."

"Not all hope is lost, though," Kanika countered. "Kokure, sister, what have you been working on since we first came to this planet?"

"Check it out," Kokure replied. She flipped open the lid covering a computer console and tapped on a few buttons, revealing what looked like a map of several galaxies.

"What good does stargazing do us?" Kirai Red asked.

"Check this out, my dark flame master," Kokure replied. "I've been astral-projecting across the galaxies, searching for a mysterious power source. On our way here, we passed through several galaxies. I felt a strange power coming from a planet we passed."

"And what was that planet's name?" Kirai Pink asked.

"Onyx," Kokure replied. "Refuge to all interstellar criminals."

"Why should we waste our time with low-bred scum like them?" Xaran asked sneeringly.

"Because if what my sister says is true," Kanika replied, "then Onyx is our best shot at getting those fragments."

"Fine," Xaran conceded.

* * *

Back in the Neji Chamber, Dimitria called the Psycho Rangers sans Tsukimaru together.

"What is it, Dimitria?" Kieran asked.

"Rangers, I must tell you something important," Dimitria said. "When the Kirai Rangers were first active three millennia ago, they had a sixth member. She was the most powerful and most vicious of them all. When the Prism Rangers defeated the Kirai Rangers, they shattered her gem and scattered its fragments. They did this because even with her spirit trapped, they feared that her power would escape its constraints "

"So they shattered the gem to divide that power," Faith finished.

"Exactly," Dimitria confirmed.

"Then we should have no problem, right?" Darien surmised.

"Wrong," Dimitria contradicted. "The shards have been collected by a treasure hunter."

"How do you know this?" Liam asked.

"It pays to have interstellar intelligence," Dimitria replied. "The treasure hunter is currently on the planet Onyx."

"Onyx?" Kaitlyn echoed. "Isn't that planet haven to intergalactic criminals?"

"Again, how do you know this?" Liam asked.

"Search your Psycho self's mind for the information," Kaitlyn replied. "The Psycho Rangers are part of us now, and their memories are ours as well."

"So let's go," Kieran said.

"It is not necessary for the full team to go," Dimitria contradicted. "Faith and Kaitlyn will go to Onyx. The rest of you will stay here in case the Kirai mount any attacks on Earth."

"All right," Faith said. "Time to do some damage. Ready, Kait?"

"Yeah," Kaitlyn said.

The two girls activated their morphers, shouting together, "Psycho Spirit Exchange!"

With a flash of pink and yellow lights, Faith and Kaitlyn were gone, replaced by Psycho Pink and Psycho Yellow.

"Before you depart, I must grant you something you'll find very useful," Dimitria said.

"What?" Psycho Pink asked impatiently.

"Behold," Dimitria replied. A sphere of pink light and a sphere of yellow light descended into the Neji Chamber. The spheres expanded into oval shapes and receded to reveal what looked like high-tech motor scooters. Both "scooters" were black, but one was trimmed in pink and the other in yellow.

"What's wrong with our Slider Bikes?" Psycho Pink asked.

"Those _are_ your Slider Bikes," Dimitria replied. "I took the liberty of making some modifications to them. They are now your Aurora Riders."

Psycho Pink and Psycho Yellow got on their Aurora Riders. "So what can these bad girls do?" Psycho Yellow asked.

"Your Aurora Riders have the same transformational ability that your Slider Bikes did," Dimitria explained. "However, they do not have a 'slider mode.' Instead, they have a 'flight mode.'"

"This is sick," Psycho Pink said, with a smirk of approval in her voice.

"I'm glad you like it so much, Psycho Pink," Dimitria said. "In bike mode, the Aurora Riders can travel at hypersonic speeds, maximum speed being Mach 10. In flight mode, they can achieve warp speed."

"How's that possible in this universe?" Liam asked. "Nothing can survive going that fast."

"Trans-dimensional technology," Dimitria replied. "It will allow the Aurora Riders to shift out of this universe and into an extra-dimensional pocket where faster-than-light acceleration is possible. In addition, you will be able to cloak them, a useful feature for where you're going."

"Yeah, too many criminals who'd love to pick apart Ranger technology and use it to conquer the universe," Psycho Pink said. "Let's go."

* * *

The Psycho girls drove out of the Neji Chamber through the hangar where Dimitria kept their vehicles. They accelerated, faster and faster until they broke the sound barrier. Fortunately, they were nowhere near civilization and thus no windows shattered.

"This is so much fun!" Pink shouted.

"For once, you and I agree!" Yellow shouted back. "Now let's check out the flight mode!"

"Aurora Riders, flight mode!" the Psycho girls shouted. Immediately, the Aurora Riders lifted off into the air. The wheels turned on their sides and jagged wings opened up on the Riders.

Psycho Pink and Psycho Yellow soared higher and higher into the sky, reaching escape velocity. Once they achieved escape velocity, they were out in space.

"Cool," Psycho Pink said, admiring the stars.

"Stargaze later," Psycho Yellow replied curtly. "We have to get to Onyx."

"'Let's take a blast to the moon, baby,'" Psycho Pink sang. Then in her normal voice, "Warp speed."

The Psycho girls activated the warp speed option of their Aurora Riders, and accelerated. They went so fast that anyone who could've seen them would have seen two blurs rushing into the farthest point in their field of vision and vanishing in a flash of bright light.

When they emerged from hyperspace, they were approaching the planet Onyx.

"We should park somewhere inconspicuous," Yellow advised. "By now, a good portion of the interstellar underworld is aware that we are now fighting for good."

"Yeah, you're right," Pink agreed. "They're probably gonna want our heads on pikes."

Yellow and Pink landed on Onyx and converted their Aurora Riders to bike mode. Then they activated the cloak option, turning the Riders invisible.

"Disguises ready?" Yellow asked.

"Yeah," Pink replied.

The two Psycho Rangers' forms blurred and distorted until they now looked like cloaked figures in black leather suits that perfectly fit their feminine contours. They walked down the desert road, headed for the first tavern they saw. After all, the underworld taverns were often an excellent source of information, given that you didn't betray your identity as a Ranger or some other intergalactic law enforcer. Then the fighting would commence, and you'd end up having to beat the information out of someone or come away no wiser than you were going in.

Yellow and Pink soon found a tavern and stepped inside. Inside, they saw a good number of patrons of various races and forms. Contrary to what sci-fi fans raised on _Star Trek_ believed, aliens were not merely humanoids who happened to have slightly different skin or facial features. George Lucas, the maker of _Star Wars,_ was slightly closer to the truth, for those aliens had physical peculiarities that couldn't simply be created from makeup. Some of them were barely humanoid at all. However, there were some nonhuman species that very closely resembled humans, and humans who had been born and raised on other planets.

The two female Psycho Rangers sat down at a pair of empty seats. Those seats happened to be adjacent to a creature with eyes which irises were colored navy and which sclera were colored cerulean that looked like he had been created from magma and a bipedal, almost birdlike creature that had blades growing all over his body. Yellow found herself next to the magma-creature, and Pink found herself next to the bladed, bipedal bird-creature.

It didn't take very long, if any time at all, for the bartender, a dragon-humanoid hybrid from the looks of him, to notice the two.

"Hey there, ladies," he said, his voice raspy yet friendly. "Would you like a drink?"

"My friend and I will have ourselves each a glass of Berfokian whiskey," Psycho Yellow said.

"Coming right up," the bartender said.

"You two new in town?" the bladed bird-creature asked.

"Yeah," Psycho Pink replied.

"What'cha do?" the magma-creature asked.

"We're wanted throughout several galaxies for mass murder, destruction of property, grand larceny, and attempted murder," Psycho Pink replied.

"Damn," the magma-creature said, his navy-on-cerulean eyes shining in approval. "You two did all that?"

"Hell, yes," Psycho Yellow replied. "We're very bad girls."

"But we just want information now," Psycho Pink added. "You hear of a treasure hunter who found a bunch of gem shards?"

"Yeah, I heard of her," the bird-creature replied. "Her name's Kalysine, and she's one gal you don't wanna mess with or run into in a dark alley. You see her; you get the hell out of her way, 'cause she'll kill anyone who gets in her way."

"Sounds like my kinda woman," Psycho Pink said, a smirk in her voice.

"Where is she now?" Psycho Yellow asked.

"She's in a tavern about twenty meters from here," the bird-creature replied. He smiled, a frightening thing considering his "mouth" was very much like a sharp beak. "What, you wanna get in on her deal?"

"Something like that," Psycho Yellow replied, getting off her seat. Psycho Pink followed suit. "Thanks for the information, gentlemen. Bye." She grasped Pink's arm and sank into a warp in the floor. They reemerged outside another tavern. "This is it."

The disguised Psycho Rangers entered the tavern.

"Shit," Psycho Yellow murmured. "We forgot to ask those two what Kalysine looked like."

"Looking for me?" a female voice, soft yet hard as steel and cold as ice, asked. The two disguised Psychos turned and saw what looked like a woman, except she was silver. Her skin was a metallic silver color and her hair was silver as well. Her eyes were a blank silvery-white, without iris or pupil.

"You're Kalysine," Psycho Pink said.

"Yes, and I know who you are, too," Kalysine replied. Her lip curled in disgust. "Psycho Rangers."

"Rangers?" a burly alien asked, turning from the bar and glancing at the three women.

"Here?" another one asked, also turning to face them. All around the tavern patrons were getting up and drawing various weapons, regardless of whether those weapons were concealed under their clothes or part of their own bodies.

"What, you wanna assist me in killing these traitors?" Kalysine asked.

The patrons responded by rushing at Pink and Yellow.

"Who knew she was psychic?" Pink replied.

"Screw this," Yellow said, and she and Pink dropped their disguises, revealing their true Ranger identities. In a blur of hyper-fast motion, the Psycho girls defeated most of the patrons. There were a few decent fighters in the bunch, but most of them were nothing more than punks.

Finally, only Kalysine was left. Her silver-white nails extended into very sharp claws.

"Now it's just you and me," she said, smirking.

"Let's do this," Yellow said with a smirk in her voice.

That said, Kalysine lunged at the Psycho Rangers, moving so fast even they were taken unawares. When her initial assault was finished, both Psychos were down, with slash marks in their armor.

"You're fast," Psycho Pink said.

"Thank you," Kalysine replied. "Now let's go again!" She lunged at the Psychos again, aiming to spill their blood this time. However, the Psycho girls were ready and they retaliated in kind. Psycho Yellow fired her sling, and Psycho Pink shot her energy arrows from her bow.

"Want to finish her off?" Psycho Pink asked.

"Yeah," Psycho Yellow said. She and Pink held their weapons in firing position. "Ready?"

"You know it," Pink replied.

"Psycho Sling, Sofia Lightning Strike!" Yellow shouted, firing bolts of golden lightning.

"Psycho Arrow, Jealous Rose!" Pink shouted, using roses as arrows.

The golden lightning wrapped itself around the dark pink roses and both attacks struck as one at Kalysine. It didn't do that much damage when one paused to think about it, but it tore her pouch from her waist and sent it flying. Psycho Yellow caught the pouch.

"I wonder what's inside," she said as she opened the pouch. She pulled out five shards of a silver gem. "Heh. I think that if you put these five shards together, you'd have one whole gem. We'll take these." She took Psycho Pink by the hand and sank into a warp in the floor. They reemerged outside and ran at super-speed for their Aurora Riders.

"Aurora Riders, to us!" they shouted.

The Aurora Riders answered their call and they jumped on. However, intergalactic thugs were chasing them and firing at them while riding bikes of their own. Suddenly, the two Psychos did a tight 180 and drove right at the thugs.

"You up for a game of chicken?" Psycho Pink asked.

The Psycho girls raced at the thugs, closer and closer, until the thugs, cowardly as all two-bit thugs are at heart, tried to get out of their way. It didn't escape the twisted Rangers' notice that the thugs were tripping all over themselves getting out of their way. More often than not, their haste and fear made them bad drivers, and they ended up crashing and burning.

Psycho Yellow looked over her shoulder at the piles of trashed bikes and barely conscious thugs. "Sayonara! It's been a blast!"

* * *

When Kanika, Kokure, Yuna, and Xaran got to Onyx, they surveyed the destruction.

"So the Psycho Rangers were here," Kanika said. "Where's the treasure hunter?"

"Miserable bitches," a voice, pained and angry, snarled. The argentine treasure hunter Kalysine stumbled over to the Kirai. "They took . . . my gem shards. . . ."

"Where did they go?" Kokure asked.

"They just warped away," Kalysine replied.

"We'll get the shards," Kanika replied. "And we'll keep them."

"What?" Kalysine shouted, enraged. "That's _my_ treasure! You've got no right " She was interrupted by Xaran's staff at her throat.

"She is the princess of Kirai, the Kirai no Hime, and therefore has plenty of right," he said. "Those shards will help us defeat those who stole the shards." Then he smirked under his helmet. "Would you like to help?"

_What do you think you're doing?_ Kanika asked sharply in Xaran's mind.

_Do not worry, princess,_ Xaran replied. _This Kalysine may not be a Kirai, but she is a strong fighter and her acquisitiveness and desire for revenge may be used to our advantage._

_Fine,_ Kanika conceded. _But she dies as soon as her usefulness to us is past._

_Got it,_ Xaran replied.

"Of course," Kalysine said, a chilling smile forming on her face.

* * *

Psycho Pink and Psycho Yellow had returned to Earth and the Neji Chamber.

"We have the shards," Kaitlyn said upon her human self exchanging places with her Psycho self.

"What now?" Faith asked.

"Be on your guard," Dimitria replied. "The Kirai must surely know by now that you have the gem shards of the sixth Kirai Ranger."

"Sure," Faith said.

"We'll be ready," Kieran said.

"That is good to hear, Kieran," Dimitria said. "In the meantime, depart."

Kieran, Liam, and Darien teleported out in balls of red, blue, and black light. However, Faith and Kaitlyn had stayed.

"What troubles you?" Dimitria asked them.

"You," Faith replied. "You spend all your time here in this chamber. Don't you wish to explore the world?"

"I cannot," Dimitria replied. "My duty lies here."

"Hey, I understand the whole duty thing but it's not right for you to stay cooped up here," Faith countered. "Besides, what's one night out going to do, huh?"

Dimitria paused for thought. "What did you have in mind, Faith?"

"Come on down and you'll see," Faith replied.

* * *

After convincing Dimitria to come with them, the three women went out through the city.

"Such wondrous beauty," Dimitria said.

"If you say so," Kaitlyn said.

"Where do you wish to take me?" Dimitria asked.

"We're going to go out to a nightclub," Faith replied. "It's a place where people go at night to hang out and enjoy themselves." She looked Dimitria up and down. "But first, we have to get you some new clothes, because those white robes aren't really going to do it."

To that end, Faith took Dimitria and Kaitlyn to a store that sold "gothic" clothes. Faith had guessed Dimitria's sizes and gotten clothes that would fit her. She did the same for Kaitlyn.

The three women came out of the dressing rooms in new clothes. Faith was in a corset-styled black leather top and leather pants that laced on the sides with a leather choker that had a ruby dangling from its chain. Kaitlyn was dressed in a black leather tube top that had buckles around the midriff and leather skirt with buckled boots. Dimitria was dressed in almost similar clothes, except that the skirt was replaced with leather hot pants, the boots were thigh-high, and the aforementioned clothes were white.

"Wow, Dimitria," Faith said. "Looking good."

"I feel slightly . . . overexposed," Dimitria replied.

"Don't worry about it," Faith said. "Now let's go."

The three women ended up at one of Faith's favorite clubs, Dusk Before Dark. They went inside and immediately heard music. Scratch that. They heard the music at least a block before they were at the door.

"Is the music in your nightclubs always this loud?" Dimitria asked.

"At least in all the ones _I've _been in," Faith replied.

"And why are those young men looking at me?" Dimitria asked.

"They're checking you out," Kaitlyn replied.

"I have much to learn," Dimitria said to herself.

"And your first lesson is having fun," Faith added. "Stay with me, Dimitria. I'll teach you the moves."

_Distant son, nova fucker_

_Hit and run to another_

_Took from me, took from you_

_Lash and caress in between_

_Hit the target won an animal_

_Got a piece, a trace, a slip inside_

_Tore a page from the bind._

Faith danced, her hips moving along to the fast, driving beat of the music.

_Handed a twisted sadistic_

_Wanted you to fix it_

_Chant, cry, moan, lie_

_Tender garden bang to dry._

Dimitria observed the other dancing humans. She looked around and saw Kaitlyn getting into the music as well. She sighed and decided something.

If you can't beat them, join them.

_Pound the love outta me, beat the love outta me._

_Best I can do, pleasure/pain_

_Too close to you, I'll blow your ash away_

_Took from you, from me_

_Brutally._

Faith noticed Dimitria dancing very gracefully. She also noticed a certain innocent sensuality to her mentor's movements.

_Ok,_ she thought. _So "innocent sensuality" is an oxymoron. Big whoop. She's having fun now._

Dimitria's dancing didn't escape Kaitlyn's notice. Nor did it escape the notice of the male patrons of the nightclub.

_Pound the love outta me, beat the love outta me_

_Catch me if you can, butter a scent on your hand._

_Wigs, whips, chains tied_

_You laughed, I cried._

_All I wanted was all you wanted._

Dimitria smiled. "It's been quite a long time since I let myself go like that."

"And you're free to do so again in the future," Faith replied. "Everyone needs a little break, or else they'll go crazy from the pressure."

A new song started up.

The three women began to dance again, unaware of the three women that were watching them. They were all beautiful, in their own way, but all shared a particular unearthliness. The lead one had pink hair of a shade like that you would get from mixing blood with snow. The second had honey-gold hair and fierce amber eyes. The third had silvery hair and pale, almost colorless eyes.

As Faith, Kaitlyn, and Dimitria danced, the three mysterious women approached them. Faith found herself with the pink-haired one as her dance partner. Kaitlyn found herself with the honey blonde, and Dimitria found herself with the silver-haired woman.

"You're very graceful, do you know that?" the silver-haired woman whispered in Dimitria's ear.

"Thank you," Dimitria replied. Despite the woman's words, Dimitria felt something very foreboding about her.

_Those women feel very familiar to me,_ Psycho Pink thought.

_Yeah,_ Faith agreed.

"Ah, Kaitlyn, so lovely you are," the honey-blonde woman whispered in her ear. "I see why he loves you."

Kaitlyn snapped out of her music-induced haze. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere," she said. "Kirai Yellow."

"You'd be correct," the honey blonde confirmed, her formerly dulcet voice hardening.

Faith broke away from the pink-haired woman. "Then you must be Kirai Pink." She looked at the silver-haired woman. "And you're Kalysine."

"Right on," the silver-haired woman confirmed. She grabbed Dimitria in a vise-like hold. "Now give me the shards or else . . ." A silvery blade projected from the arm that she had around Dimitria's chest and lingered dangerously close to her throat. "Your mentor gets it."

"Leave her alone!" Kaitlyn shouted.

"You mean give _us_ the shards," Kirai Pink corrected.

"Who cares?" Faith replied. "We're not giving them to you."

"Then we'll have to beat them out of you," Kirai Yellow sneered. With a yell, she leaped into a hard spinning kick that knocked Faith and Kaitlyn off their feet.

The Kirai Ranger ladies smirked at Faith and Kaitlyn and each pulled a ring off their middle fingers. It didn't escape the Ranger girls' notice that Kirai Pink's ring had a rose quartz set in it and that Kirai Yellow's ring had a yellow topaz set in it. Surprisingly enough, the rings mystically enlarged into what looked like brass knuckles but with strange-looking belt buckles on them with enlarged gems set in them.

Kirai Yellow and Kirai Pink smirked at the other patrons. "If you want to live, I suggest you depart at once," Kirai Pink sneered.

"Listen, lady, this is my club and if you're going to be stirring up trouble, then you and your friends oughtta leave," the owner replied, striding over to them.

"Miserable fool," Kirai Pink sneered. With a blast of telekinetic force, she threw the club owner into a wall with enough power to knock him out, if not kill him. Getting the message, the patrons fled.

"Just us girls now," Kirai Yellow said.

The female Kirai Rangers slipped the Kiraimorphers onto their hands. "Kirai Matrix,Ranger Power!" As they shouted their morph command, they raised their morpher-bearing hands into the air and drew those hands back with their empty hands in a "cupping" position. Then they thrust out their Kiraimorphers, the empty hand positioned over the morpher-bearing hand, which was in an underhand position. The gems glowed with unholy light that engulfed the hateful duo before fading to reveal their Ranger forms.

"You wanna play like that, fine!" Faith shouted. Then with Kaitlyn, "Psycho Spirit Exchange!"

Now morphed, the Pink Rangers and Yellow Rangers met in a devastating head-to-head confrontation. No quarter was asked, and no quarter was given.

"Do you really think you can take us!" Kirai Yellow shouted after a particularly hard hit left Psycho Yellow staggering.

"I'm still standing," Psycho Yellow replied.

"Enough," Kirai Pink said. "If they won't give us the shards, then we'll give them some time to think about it. You hear that, Psycho Rangers? You have until midnight to make up your minds. Meet us at the abandoned subway station." With that said, the two Kirai Rangers and Kalysine warped away with Dimitria.

"Damn it!" Psycho Pink shouted.

* * *

At the Neji Chamber, the Psychos' human hosts were debating the best course of action.

"We should just go in there and take Dimitria back," Darien declared.

"That's suicide," Liam retorted. "You saw what they did to Tsukimaru. And he can take that kind of damage better than any of us. If they managed to hurt _him_ that bad, think about what'll happen to _us._"

"Not my fault I'm not a wimp like you," Darien snapped.

"Both of you quit it!" Faith yelled. "It's my fault, all right! If I hadn't been so insistent on taking Dimitria out so she could have some fun for once, then they wouldn't have been able to get to her!"

"It's not your fault, Faith," Kieran replied. "Besides, you really think they wouldn't have been able to find her or someone else we care about if they wanted to force us to hand over the shards?"

"He has a point there," Kaitlyn agreed. "Besides, the important thing is getting Dimitria back."

"That's right," Kieran said. "And I've got a plan."

"I'll join you," Tsukimaru said, his voice coming from the entrance to the main room of the Neji Chamber from the infirmary.

"You sure you're up to it?" Darien asked. "You got knocked around pretty bad the last time."

"I'm sure," Tsukimaru replied.

"Let's do this," Kieran said.

* * *

The Psycho Rangers met the Kirai Rangers and Kalysine who had reverted to her true form at the abandoned subway.

"Hello, Psychos," Kirai Red said, mock politeness in his voice. He saw Psycho Silver. "Silver, Silver, Silver. I hope Kirai Yellow didn't hurt you too badly."

"I'm just fine," Psycho Silver replied.

"Do you have the shards or not?" Kirai Black asked.

"Give us Dimitria or no shards," Psycho Black replied.

"How can we be sure you'll give us the shards?" Kalysine asked.

"How can we be sure you'll give us Dimitria?" Psycho Pink replied.

"Answering a question with another question," Kirai Pink said. "Are you studying to be a human lawyer?"

"You want Dimitria so badly, here she is," Kirai Blue replied, pulling Dimitria out from her hiding place. He smirked underneath his helmet and then turned to Psycho Pink. "Tell your human self thanks for dressing her up. She looks a lot better this way."

"Let her go!" Psycho Pink snarled.

"Fine," Kirai Blue replied. He roughly shoved Dimitria at the Psycho Rangers.

Psycho Pink caught her. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Dimitria replied. "The Kirai Rangers did not harm me."

"Now hand over the shards!" Kirai Yellow snapped.

"Here are your freaking shards!" Psycho Yellow retorted, and threw the bag containing the shards at Kirai Yellow, who caught it.

Kirai Yellow inspected the shards. Then she looked at Psycho Yellow, rage evident in her posture.

"Did you think you could trick us!" she asked angrily. "I know these are fakes! I know you have the real ones! We would've let you go, but now it seems we'll have to take the real shards from your corpses!"

"Dimitria, get out of here!" Psycho Yellow snapped.

"I can't leave you, my Rangers," Dimitria replied.

The two Ranger teams met again in brutal combat. If the Kirai Rangers had been tough when they were relatively calm, then they were nearly unstoppable when angry. The Psychos found themselves on the receiving end of brutal attacks, both physical and otherwise. Finally, they were left struggling to stand at all.

"Let's combine our weapons," Kirai Red said. The Kirai Twin Blade connected to the Kirai Crossbow and the Kirai Double Edge attached at its center. The Kirai Tomahawk attached to the Kirai Double Edge at its front end, hilt facing forward, while the Kirai Slinger attached itself to the Kirai Double Edge's back end. The other four Kirai Rangers gathered around Kirai Red as the combination weapon glowed with unholy violet light.

As one the Kirai Rangers shouted, "Kirai Destroyer, Annihilation Wave!"

By all rights, the blast should've killed the Psycho Rangers. But it didn't. Dimitria had formed a shield of pure light around the Psycho Rangers, protecting them. The blast was destroyed, but so was the shield and the resulting backlash blew the real shards into the hands of Kirai Red.

"We have what we came for," he said. "Good-bye, Rangers."

That said, the Kirai Rangers and Kalysine warped away.

"We're sorry, Dimitria," Psycho Red said. "Sorry we couldn't stop them."

"It's all right, Rangers," Dimitria replied. "What is important is that you're unharmed."

"As unharmed as you can get after getting the crap beaten out of you by those freaks," Psycho Blue said.

"Thank you, Dimitria," Psycho Pink said.

"You're welcome," Dimitria replied.

* * *

Back on the Kirai warship, Kanika smirked. "Good job, Kirai Rangers."

"Thank you," Kirai Red said.

"Wait a minute," Kalysine said. "If you're going to take those shards, then I want some compensation."

"You'll get it," Kanika replied. Suddenly, Kalysine felt herself trapped by invisible chains. Said chains lifted her into a facedown position in midair.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Kalysine asked.

"Giving you your compensation," Kanika replied. She withdrew a dagger with a jeweled hilt. "You get to use your blood to help us bring forth the sixth Kirai Ranger."

That was the last thing Kalysine heard before Kanika slit her throat. The silvery blood poured forth from her neck, dripping onto the five shards of the sixth Kirai Ranger's gem. The blood soon coated the shards, and then something happened.

The blood was sucked into the shards, which now glowed with an unholy silver light. The shards came together, forming one whole gem again, and the evil light shot out of the gem. It formed itself into a female figure and floated to the ground.

Once the light faded, they could see her features, or rather, those of the suit she wore. It was designed like those of the other Kirai Rangers, except it was silver, and the tooth designs, breastplate, and belt were metallic gold instead of metallic silver.

"Kirai Silver," Kanika said. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

Kirai Silver looked at Kanika, and an evil smile formed behind her helmet.

To be continued . . .

Next: Kirai Silver strikes, and the Psycho Rangers bond to their hosts in a manner they never thought possible.


	8. Deadly Interface

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book Two: "Twisted Element"

Chapter 3: "Deadly Interface"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers aren't mine. Everything else is.

Author's notes: Until now, the Psycho Rangers have done all the work. But what if there was a way for their human vessels to fight with them? Prepare for a serious change in the Psycho Matrix status quo. By the way, the song I used in the last chapter was Kidneythieves' "S + M (A Love Song)," from their first album _Trickster,_ which is now impossible to get in stores. However, you can order the reprocessed version on the Kidneythieves' web site.

Faith woke up the next morning, having recovered enough to move around without great pain, but she still ached in some places. She got up from her bed and threw on a robe over the tank top and cotton shorts she wore to bed. She walked to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then stripped and stepped into the bathtub, turning on the shower.

She sighed in contentment as she felt the warm water ease away her aches and pains.

_Damn, those Kirai Ranger punks hit hard,_ she thought. _Still, it was worth it to see Dimitria get out of that chamber for once. Maybe we can do it again sometime._

Just then, a knock on the door shocked her out of her reverie.

"Faith!" Richie shouted from the other side. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming out, Richie!" Faith shouted back. Then she mumbled, "You little brat."

In another minute, Faith had finished showering and drying. Then she returned to her room and got dressed. The outfit du jour was a one-strap black shirt with three claw-like tears in the midriff and hip-hugging black jeans with black boots. She went downstairs to eat with her parents and little brother.

Her father was reading the paper when an aghast look settled in his eyes.

"Aidan?" her mother asked. "What's wrong?"

"Look," her father replied. Her mother looked at the article he was reading and gasped in shock.

"Who would do such a thing?" she said, on the verge of tears. "And those poor kids . . ."

Something about this tugged at Faith's instincts. It felt like something not quite in the realm of human crimes. She got up and looked over her father's shoulder. She read the passage from the article that had horrified her parents.

"Late last night, police found the bodies of five teenagers. All five came from the city of Los Angeles, and when the police found them, they had already bled to death from what appeared to be slash wounds to the throat. So far, the police have no idea why the teens were murdered, but there have been suspicions that a cult was involved."

Faith shuddered. Yesterday had been the day she and the other Rangers had met the Kirai Rangers for the first time. And that same night, five kids had been found dead. This felt stranger and stranger to her.

She looked at pictures of the five teens that had been submitted by the high school they had attended. There had been three boys and two girls. Faith looked at the two girls and stifled a gasp.

_Those girls,_ she thought. _They look exactly like Kirai Yellow's and Kirai Pink's unmorphed forms!_ Except for the fact that the girl who was apparently a doppelganger of Kirai Pink didn't have pink hair or red eyes. Instead, her hair was auburn and her eyes were brown. The Kirai Yellow "doppelganger" had blonde hair, too, but her eyes were a gold-green color instead of being amber.

Faith returned to her seat and finished her breakfast, then hurried to school. Once there, she tried to get through class without incident. Of course, it wasn't so easy, considering that all day two sets of identical yet different faces haunted her. The faces of two innocent young girls and the faces of the hateful Rangers that had tried to kill her.

"Miss Darkchilde?" the history teacher asked. "Is my class boring you?"

"No, Mrs. Farikh," Faith replied.

"All right, then," Mrs. Farikh conceded. "But do your best to make your interest more apparent."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Kaitlyn's classroom, they had a new classmate.

"Class, say hello to Terry Haller," the teacher said. The new student was strikingly attractive, with long violet-highlighted black hair and piercing golden eyes.

_Tsukimaru!_ Kaitlyn thought.

"Terry, you may take the seat next to Kaitlyn," the teacher said.

"Thank you," "Terry" replied and walked to the seat next to Kaitlyn. The female classmates glanced at him in the throes of infatuation, and at Kaitlyn with envy and resentment. He smiled at Kaitlyn. "Hi, there."

"Tsukimaru!" Kaitlyn hissed in a low voice, low enough so that no one but the subject of Kaitlyn's one-word statement would hear.

"Not here," Tsukimaru whispered. "Dimitria took the trouble to create an identity for me so I could live like a human. Right now, I'm Terry Haller."

"Nice to meet you, Terry," Kaitlyn said.

* * *

At lunch, the six Rangers got together. "This is really, really freaky," Liam said.

"And not a coincidence at all," Darien added. "The Kirai Rangers show up, and five kids show up dead that same night? Definitely not a coincidence."

"It's been tearing me apart inside all day," Faith said.

"I know," Kieran replied, placing a comforting hand on hers. "But we'll figure out what's going on, and we'll make the people who did this pay."

"What's the connection, though?" Kaitlyn asked. "It's definitely no coincidence that the Kirai Rangers show up and five kids are found dead on the same day. So . . . what's the connection?"

Tsukimaru hadn't said a word. He had simply stared into space with a haunted expression, as if carrying some dreadful secret.

"Tsukimaru?" Faith asked.

"His name is Terry Haller while he's here," Kaitlyn replied.

"Ok, Terry," Faith said. "Terry?"

"I studied the Kirai Rangers when I was twelve in Earth years," Tsukimaru replied. "Legend said that the only way they could be freed from their gem prisons was through blood sacrifices."

"So that's how they came back!" Faith exclaimed. "And why Kirai Pink and Kirai Yellow look like the two girls the police found!"

"Keep it down, Faith," Kieran said. "I know you're freaked out about those kids, but try to keep your voice low."

"Yeah, we gotta keep our identities secret," Faith said.

Suddenly, there was an announcement over the school's P.A. system. _"Attention, students. The midtown area near this school is being attacked. Everyone is instructed to leave in an orderly fashion. We will be going to the nearest shelter."_

"Kirai Rangers?" Liam asked.

"Wouldn't doubt it," Faith replied.

However, the students had largely panicked and started fleeing en masse. The six Rangers used the distraction to teleport out.

* * *

When they got to the midtown area, it was a mess. And they saw the source, a silver leather-clad female figure, with gold accenting her suit and a silver helmet hiding her face.

"Kirai Silver," Tsukimaru said.

"Psycho Silver," the female said, her voice darkly dulcet.

_That voice!_ Faith thought. "You sound just like . . ."

"Kalysine?" Kirai Silver finished. She demorphed, revealing the spitting image of Kalysine, except that her skin was white with a silver sheen and her eyes were silver. "Her blood freed me. As did those human children's blood for my compatriots." She withdrew her Kiraimorpher, which was designed like the others, but gold with a silver gem. "Kirai Matrix, Ranger Power!"

In a flash of horrible silver light, Kirai Silver was back in Ranger form.

"Psycho Spirit . . ."

"Twisted Aura . . ."

"Exchange!" all six Rangers shouted, morphing.

"Kirai Gunblade!" Kirai Silver shouted as she summoned what looked like a gun with a sword blade melted onto its barrel.

"Psycho Sword!"

"Psycho Rod!"

"Psycho Axe!"

"Psycho Sling!"

"Psycho Arrow!"

"Psycho Blazer!"

Suddenly, Kirai Silver was gone.

"Where'd she go?" Psycho Pink asked.

The answer to that question came in the form of a silver-and-gold blur, slashing through all six Psycho Rangers. The blur landed behind them and stopped, revealing itself as Kirai Silver. The Psycho Rangers turned to face her.

"Damn it," Psycho Red said. "She's even faster than the other five!"

"You'll pay for what you did to those kids!" Psycho Pink vowed. "Psycho Arrow, Jade Lightning!" She fired arrows of green lightning out of her bow. Kirai Silver simply deflected them all with warps in the air.

"Pathetic," she sneered.

"Red, give me your sword," Psycho Pink said.

"Why?" Psycho Red asked.

"Just trust me on this," Psycho Pink replied.

"Fine," Psycho Red conceded. He gave Psycho Pink his sword.

Psycho Pink nocked the Psycho Sword into her Psycho Arrow. "Take this. Psycho Arrow, Jade Lightning Blade!" She fired the Psycho Sword, charged up with the energy of the Jade Lightning Attack. Kirai Silver wasn't quite prepared for that and the electrified sword pierced through the gold breastplate of her suit, embedding itself in her chest.

"Stupid Ranger," she snarled, pulling the Psycho Sword out. Surprisingly enough, the hole made in the breastplate sealed itself. "Did you think that would stop me?" She laughed. "And now I have your leader's weapon." She held the Psycho Sword in her left hand and the Kirai Gunblade in her right. "Kirai Gunblade, Psycho Sword . . . Dark Twin Silver Lightning!" In a blur of impossible speed, she slashed the Psycho Rangers with both blades, which were charged with black/silver lightning.

"Enough of this," Psycho Red snarled. "Phantom Fire Wave!" A wave of unholy fire shot out of his cupped hands and struck Kirai Silver.

"Eclipse Wind Circle!" Psycho Silver shouted. A ball of whirling air formed in his hands and he shot it at his hateful counterpart. The wind whirled around her, then pushed her back.

"You're good, traitor," Kirai Silver said. "But not good enough! Black Whirlwind Slash!" The wind gathered in her hands and she shot it at Psycho Silver. Instead of pushing him as his attack had pushed her, the wind formed blades that cut at him!

"Tsukimaru!" Psycho Yellow shouted.

"I'm all right, Psycho Yellow," Psycho Silver said.

Psycho Red finally retrieved his sword. "It's going to take a combined effort from all of us if we want to do some serious damage."

"You mean . . ." Psycho Black started to say, but Psycho Red finished for him.

"The Psycho Striker."

The five core Psycho Rangers put their weapons together. "Psycho Striker, fire!" Psycho Red commanded.

A blast of green lightning shot out of the Psycho Striker, headed right for Kirai Silver.

"Strike this," Kirai Silver said and kicked the blast right back at the Psycho Rangers. The twisted Rangers found themselves overwhelmed by their own assault, which also separated the Psycho Striker into five individual weapons.

"This is not good," Psycho Blue said.

"That's an understatement," Psycho Pink said. "She's kicking our asses!"

"Then it's time we tried another combined attack," Psycho Red said. Fire collected in his hand.

Earth energies gathered in Psycho Black's hand.

Swirling mists of cold gathered in Psycho Blue's hand.

Golden lightning collected in Psycho Yellow's hand.

Forest energies gathered in Psycho Pink's hand, incarnated in dark pink rose petals.

Whirling air gathered in Psycho Silver's hand.

"Twisted Element!" the six Psycho Rangers shouted, combining their elemental energies into a devastating blast. This time, it did some serious damage to Kirai Silver.

"That hurt," she sneered. "But not that much. It isn't over yet, Psycho Rangers; it's only the beginning." She warped away.

"She's even tougher than the other Kirai Rangers put together," Psycho Yellow said.

"Don't make me think about it," Psycho Pink said.

"We have to get back," Psycho Silver said. "By now, the teachers have noticed that me and your alter egos are not present."

Psycho Yellow linked hands with the other Psychos and they sank into a warp in the ground, emerging inside the designated shelter. Out of sight of anyone present, they demorphed.

* * *

"Ah, I see that you've finally found your way," one of the teachers said. "Did you get lost?"

"Yes, sir, we were lost," Kieran lied. Fortunately, the teacher believed him, but it was plausible considering how everyone had fled en masse and it was always easy to get lost in a crowd of rapidly moving bodies.

"I just got word," the principal said. "The attack has just been stopped."

"By who?" a student asked.

"The Power Rangers," the principal replied.

Some of the students snickered. "Power Rangers. You still read comic books, principal?" one of them asked.

Another student said, "Hey! They're _Psycho_ Rangers, and they actually do exist."

"Whatever you choose to believe, you should be grateful that someone stopped whoever was attacking," the principal said. "This means that we can return to the school and you can finish your classes."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kirai Silver had returned to the Kirai vessel.

"Good work, Kirai Silver," Kanika said.

"Thank you, Kanika-hime," Kirai Silver said, bowing. "That is only the beginning, however; I have a greater plan. That fight was simply to make them aware of me."

"What is your plan?" Kanika asked.

"Earth's nations are becoming increasingly interconnected," Kirai Silver explained. "A great part of the reason is the 'advancements' in computer technology. They have created an Internet that allows them to communicate with each other instantly no matter where on Earth they are. If we interfere with this, the planet will soon fall apart, leaving it ripe for the taking."

"Perfect," Kanika said. "You have very good ideas, Kirai Silver."

The other Kirai Rangers watched in mixed admiration and jealousy.

"What were we on when we brought her back?" Kirai Pink asked. "She's taking all the glory for herself! Hell, if she hadn't held back, she'd have killed Psycho Pink before I could!"

"Who gives a crap about Psycho Pink?" Kirai Blue asked. "She could've killed Psycho Blue!"

"We will have to keep a very close eye on her," Kirai Red said. "Make sure she doesn't have any plans on taking over as leader . . . or on eliminating us."

* * *

Back on Earth, Kieran was doing some online research for a school project. Suddenly, the screen froze.

"What's going on here?" he asked. He turned off the monitor and then turned it back on, figuring that would fix the problem, but the screen was still frozen.

A message flashed on the monitor, read out by a malevolent female voice.

_"Greetings, humans.__ I am Kiraikama. I am a virus created from the blood of Kirai Silver. I am your destruction."_

"This is not good," Kieran said to himself. "This is not good at all."

All over the city, all over the state, all over the nation, all over the world the same message read out on computer users' monitors.

Kieran closed his laptop, got up, and went downstairs to the front door. "Where are you going, Kieran?" his father asked from his room.

"Out," Kieran replied. "I have to see some friends."

"Ok," his father said. "But with that virus out, things might get a bit crazy out there. Be careful."

"I will," Kieran replied. He opened and closed the door just to make it sound like he was leaving, then teleported to the Neji Chamber.

* * *

"This is the most dangerous plot the Kirai have hatched yet," Dimitria said. "If Kiraikama completely infects the world's computers, then there is no telling just what sort of damage it will unleash."

"I can tell you," Liam said. "The major powers of the world have powerful missiles, smart bombs, and nuclear weapons. Computers control all of those. Kiraikama could easily launch those weapons anywhere it wants."

"Including here to finish us off," Darien added.

"How do we stop it?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Look behind you," Dimitria replied. The six Rangers turned around and saw what looked like a very advanced computer console. The console was circular and had five pairs of slots. The monitor was made up of five screens arranged in a circular pattern.

"What are those slots for?" Kieran asked.

"Your morphers," Dimitria replied. "The Psycho Rangers' spirits will be digitized and uploaded into the Internet to stop Kiraikama."

"Digitize!" Psycho Red shouted, his spectral form appearing with those of the other four Psycho spirits. "No way in hell! The whole digital experience isn't all it's cracked up to be. We know."

"It's the only way to prevent total havoc and destruction," Dimitria stated simply.

"Fine," Psycho Red conceded.

"Your character has greatly improved, Psycho Red," Dimitria said. "Not very long ago, you would have been persistently obstinate in your refusal."

"I think it's just Kieran's influence," Red said, trying to shrug it off. He and the other Psycho spirits vanished from sight.

"It is time," Dimitria said. "Place your morphers in the slots."

The five Ranger vessels walked to the computer console and placed both parts of the morphers in the slots.

"Begin upload process," Dimitria said.

The five-screen monitor glowed bright white and the Psycho Morphers glowed with light of their respective colors.

* * *

"So this is the information superhighway, huh?" Psycho Pink said.

"Let's get cruisin'!" Psycho Blue exclaimed.

"Aurora Riders!" the Psycho Rangers shouted.

"How can they call the Aurora Riders on the Internet?" Faith asked.

"They cannot," Dimitria replied. "What they're doing is converting the computer data into what they want it to be."

The data collected into the Aurora Riders and the Psycho Rangers got on. They rode through a digital tunnel to enter the Internet.

"We're here," Psycho Red said once they'd arrived at their destination. They got off the digital Aurora Riders, and their data scattered into its original form.

"All right, you nasty bug!" Psycho Black shouted. "Time to squash you!"

"Squash me?" the malevolent female voice that had spelled out the message of doom earlier asked. The Psychos turned to see a twisted, insectoid creature.

"Looks like a really warped queen bee," Psycho Pink said.

"You're through, Psycho Rangers," Kiraikama declared. It leaped at them, attacking furiously and swiftly with its stinger. The Psychos retaliated by summoning their weapons.

Suddenly, Kiraikama stiffened.

"What's going on?" Psycho Blue asked.

"We're not going to like this," Psycho Red said.

Kiraikama's form became sleeker and less twisted. It also grew taller and more muscular.

"What the " Psycho Yellow asked.

"She changed!" Psycho Red exclaimed.

"She evolved," Tsukimaru said in the real world. "Like all viruses do."

"We have to find a way to stop her!" Psycho Black said.

"Evolve your way out of this!" Psycho Red shouted. His sword charged itself up with unnatural flame. "Psycho Sword, Phantom Fire Blade!" He slashed Kiraikama at super-speed, but just as he was about to make his finishing move, she grabbed his arm and threw him into a cyber-wall. "I don't wanna know just how much data I damaged."

"Psycho Rod, Vulgar Earth Splitting!" Psycho Black shouted. His rod charged with earthen energies and he slammed it into the cyber-ground, sending a splitting wave of energy toward Kiraikama, who simply jumped over it and kicked him.

"Psycho Axe, Bizarre Ice Spinner!" Psycho Blue shouted. His axe glowed with ice-blue energy and he spun around Kiraikama at super-speed, slashing her. Ultimately, that attack met with the same results as those of his red and black teammates. Kiraikama grabbed his wrist and tossed him, adding her own force to his rapidly rotating body's speed.

"Psycho Arrow . . ."

"Psycho Sling . . ."

"Jade Lightning!" Pink and Yellow shouted, firing blasts of green lightning out of their weapons. Kiraikama was hit badly, but retaliated just as hard with furious slashes from her stinger. Suddenly, she stiffened again.

"Oh, no, don't tell me she's evolving again!" Psycho Blue exclaimed.

But she did. Her musculature grew more defined, she grew even taller, and here came the shocker _pieces of Psycho Ranger armor grew on her body!_

"What the hell is she, Psycho Kiraikama?" Psycho Pink asked.

"Nice name," Kiraikama said. "Thank you."

* * *

In the real world, Tsukimaru and the Psycho vessels watched in horror as Psycho Kiraikama beat the Psycho Rangers to within an inch of their lives. Not just that, but E-mails were coming in all over the world from desperate people who were watching the Psycho Rangers' online battle and were rooting for them to stop her.

* * *

"I can barely move," Psycho Red said.

"I feel so heavy," Psycho Yellow said.

"Go on a diet," Psycho Pink retorted, though she felt the same heaviness. Psycho Yellow was too weary to say something back.

"I feel like I've got hundred-ton weights on my arms and legs," Psycho Black said.

"Poor pitiful Psychos," Psycho Kiraikama said. "You don't understand why you can't move, do you?"

* * *

But Tsukimaru and the Psycho vessels did.

"The E-mails!" Tsukimaru exclaimed. "If too much data converges in one location, then the processor slows down!"

"Then we've gotta tell those people to stop sending their E-mails!" Darien concluded. That said, he and the other Rangers sent E-mails to those that had mailed earlier, telling them to stop.

* * *

Online, Psycho Kiraikama smirked. "Time to put an end to you! Warped Lightning Strike!" She shot bolts of black-and-green lightning at the Psycho Rangers, knocking them down to the cyber-ground.

"So weak . . ." Psycho Blue moaned.

"Can't move . . ." Psycho Pink groaned.

* * *

"Blue!" Liam shouted.

"Pink!" Faith shouted.

"We have to do something!" Kieran exclaimed. "We can't just let them die!"

"But we can't do anything," Darien responded. "We've got no power whatsoever without the morphers, and even then, the Psychos do all the work."

Kieran just looked back at the screen. "Red . . ."

Tsukimaru looked toward Kaitlyn, ready to say something comforting, only to find that she was gone. Come to think of it, the other four Rangers were gone as well.

"Where'd they go?" Tsukimaru asked.

* * *

Online, Psycho Red looked up. Had he been a religious person, he would have believed that the light he saw was the beginning of a journey to a divine place. However, that light was not it. It was shaped like a human and floating closer to him by the second.

The other Psychos saw the same thing. Psycho Red attempted to focus his senses, and recognized the figure drifting toward him as . . .

"Kieran! How can you be here?"

"Our bond, Psycho Red," Kieran replied. He looked to his friends. "We're here to help you fight."

"But how can you?" Psycho Pink asked.

"Not by ourselves," Faith replied. "But that's why we have to work together, right?"

"Help us get up and we'll see about this working together thing," Psycho Blue said.

"No problem," Liam said, and extended a hand to Blue. The other vessels did the same with their Psycho spirit partners. The Psychos gladly took their hands. However, when their hands met, something happened.

"What's happening?" Kaitlyn asked Yellow. "You're glowing and melting at the same time!"

"We are truly becoming one now," Yellow replied. Her features blurred and melted into an indistinguishable liquid light that flowed onto and into Kaitlyn's whole body. The same thing happened to the other four. The liquid glow seemed to concentrate at their wrists and then faded, revealing their Psycho Morphers.

_You know what to do,_ the Psychos' voices said to them in their minds.

The five turned to Psycho Kiraikama.

"You're finished," Kieran said. "Ready, guys!"

"Whenever you are," Kaitlyn said.

"Psycho Spirit Fusion!" the five Rangers shouted, transforming. This time, the transformation melded their minds with those of their Psycho counterparts.

Kieran looked down at his black-and-red-armored form. He clenched a gauntleted fist. "So this is what morphing feels like," he said, his voice his own but twisted and mechanical, a trait inherited from Psycho Red.

The other four looked down at themselves as well. "This is cool on so many levels," Darien said in his altered voice.

"Amazing," Liam said.

"This is so awesome," Kaitlyn said.

"I never noticed how well this armor fits," Faith said.

"Enough of admiring ourselves," Kieran said, Psycho Red's commanding personality manifesting in his voice. "Let's remove this virus."

"You think you can stop me, humans?" Psycho Kiraikama sneered. Suddenly, she was gone.

"That won't save you," Faith sneered. She and the other Psycho Rangers ran through digital tunnels at hyper-speed.

* * *

"What just happened?" Tsukimaru asked in the real world.

"The Psycho Rangers have merged their own spirits with those of their vessels," Dimitria explained. "Kieran and the others are no longer merely hosts for the Psycho spirits, nor are the Psycho spirits any longer their other halves. Now, they _are_ the Psycho Rangers."

* * *

When the Psycho Rangers reached the end of the tunnel, they gasped in horror.

"Oh, hell no!" Darien shouted.

"This is bad," Liam said.

"Understatement of the millennium, Liam," Kaitlyn said.

Psycho Kiraikama had multiplied! Instead of just one of her, there were now many, infesting cyberspace.

"How many of her is there?" Faith asked.

"I'm guessing at least a million," Kieran replied.

"Great," Faith said. "How are we supposed to defeat a million Kiraikamas?"

"Simple," they said, their voices overlapping. "You don't. You get deleted. One question for you: Do you know how to count backwards?"

"What kind of question is that?" Kaitlyn asked.

"A good one," Psycho Kiraikama said. A timer appeared on the screens of all the active computers in the world, including the Neji Chamber console, counting down from three minutes.

"I don't think I wanna know what that means," Liam said.

* * *

"You'll have to if you wanna know why you have to stop them," Tsukimaru replied. "The Chinese military has apparently just fired two missiles, both of them aimed straight at us. Psycho Kiraikama must have invaded their systems and taken over missile control!"

* * *

"Time to say bye-bye," Psycho Kiraikama said in mockingly babyish tones.

"You say bye-bye," Kieran retorted. "You won't stop us. We're the Psycho Rangers! Psycho Red!"

"Psycho Black!" Darien shouted.

"Psycho Blue!" Liam shouted.

"Psycho Yellow!" Kaitlyn shouted.

"Psycho Pink!" Faith shouted.

"Phantom Fire Spheres!" Psycho Red shouted, shooting a wave of fireballs at the Psycho Kiraikamas, destroying several tens of thousands of them. "Phantom Fire Kick!" He performed a crescent kick that sent an arc of flame at the remaining Psycho Kiraikamas, destroying more of them.

"Bizarre Hailstorm!" Psycho Blue shouted, calling down a storm of hailstones to destroy even more Psycho Kiraikamas.

Psycho Black embedded his rod in mid-cyber-air and rotated sideways on it, kicking the Psycho Kiraikamas in a circle. When the rotation had reached 360 degrees, he stopped, picked up his Psycho Rod, and swung it in an arc, destroying a good number of the Psycho Kiraikamas.

Psycho Yellow and Psycho Pink flipped to opposite sides, then whirled and fired their weapons. The blasts crossed each other, forming an X before striking their targets, the Psycho Kiraikamas.

"Hurry it up!" Tsukimaru shouted. "You have a little over one minute and thirty seconds before those missiles hit!"

"It's over!" Psycho Red shouted. He and the other Rangers formed a ball of green lightning in their hands and combined those balls into one big sphere. They then raised the sphere over their heads.

"Jade Lightning Nova!" they shouted, throwing the sphere down at the remaining Kiraikamas. The sphere exploded in omni-directional lightning bolts, destroying all the Kiraikamas except for the original one.

* * *

"Fifty-five seconds now!" Tsukimaru shouted. "I'm sending an E-mail to all those people that were writing before and telling them to send their E-mails to Psycho Kiraikama, slowing _her_ processing speed like they did to you before!"

* * *

True to his word, the E-mails had slowed Psycho Kiraikama tremendously.

"Time to end this," Psycho Red said. The Psychos gathered their elemental energies, shouting as one, "Twisted Element!"

The combined fury of fire, ice, earth, lightning, and forest proved too much for the hateful virus and it was, in a word, deleted.

"We did it!" Psycho Blue shouted.

"Yeah, and now that the Chinese military has control over their computers again, they've redirected the missiles to land harmlessly in the Atlantic," Tsukimaru said.

"Let's get back to the real world," Psycho Pink said. "Cyberspace is boring when you're literally in it."

* * *

The Psycho Rangers' human halves were reconfigured into flesh and blood in the real world, while their Psycho halves were downloaded back into the morphers.

"That was a new experience," Darien said. "Are we going to be able to do it again?"

"Yes," Dimitria replied. "You can now directly wield the Psycho Rangers' powers."

"Cool," Darien said. "But it's not over yet, is it?"

"Far from it," Dimitria replied.

* * *

In Earth's orbit, on the Kirai warship, a certain hateful Red Ranger was not pleased with his silver teammate's foiled plan.

"So much for your virus," he sneered.

Kirai Silver just stared at him from underneath the visor of her helmet.

"Her plan may have failed, but it proved something," Kanika said. "We know now just how pathetic their cyber-infrastructure is. If it was that easy to break into their computers . . . imagine the ease with which we will annihilate them."

To be continued . . .

Next: When the Kirai Rangers prove to be too tough for the Psycho Rangers to handle, they seek more . . . experienced help.


	9. Ranger Spectrum

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book Two: "Twisted Element"

Chapter 4: "Ranger Spectrum"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, the Psycho Rangers, a special guest star, and the characters who inherit the powers of the Prism Rangers are not mine. Everyone and everything else is.

Author's note: This is the end of the Kirai Ranger saga. However, the real end will come in the next chapter (or two). When I said in the first chapter not to expect any crossovers, I meant not with Ninja Storm. By the way, I know Tommy's appearance with Kimberly in this story kinda conflicts with his presumably single status in Power Rangers Dino Thunder, but I wrote this before Dino Thunder premiered. For convenience's sake, let's pretend this story is set in analternate PR continuity.

The next day was largely uneventful, save for students chatting about the Kirai virus attack and how the Psycho Rangers had defeated it. Fortunately, no one seemed to recall the five teens that had melded with them.

"That was the coolest thing I ever saw!" a student exclaimed.

"Yeah," agreed another. "The Psychos rock."

"The red one's cool, for a fire-wielding dude," a third student contributed.

"You wanna know who's really cool?" a girl asked. "Blue."

As for the Psycho Rangers themselves, they were currently at a lunch table pretending to pay no attention to the chatter.

"We have our own fan club," Darien said, deadpan.

"I always wanted to be adored by millions," Faith said in mock narcissism.

"You're so vain," Kieran replied in mock offense, joining in on her joke.

"I've been monitoring the fan sites," Tsukimaru said. He pulled open his laptop and showed it to the other five Rangers. There were seven icons, one for each Psycho Ranger and one more for the whole team. "Each of the icons links to our fan sites. You can guess which is for whom."

"Ooh, let's check out the sites my adoring fans have made for me," Faith said, playing up the faked narcissism.

The six cruised their fan sites, finding links like "Golden Lightning," or "Crimson Blaze," or "Ice Blue Dark Warrior," or "Blackened Earth," or "Rose Madness," or "Argentine Mystery," or "Darkness Six."

"That's a lot of fan sites," Kaitlyn said as they scrolled down the list of links.

"Not just fans," Tsukimaru replied darkly. "We've got a few detractors, too."

"Everyone has critics," Faith said in a tone that blended sage with nonchalant.

"This site's runner claims that the Psycho Rangers 'are insane vigilantes whose actions threaten the same innocent lives they claim they're protecting,'" Liam said.

"This site's run by someone who survived the Psychos' attacks on Angel Grove five years ago," Kaitlyn said. "She says that the Psychos are homicidal monsters who can't be trusted."

"I knew that would come back to haunt us someday," Darien said.

"What are you checking out?" Raye asked, coming up to join them with Wayne and Devin. She craned her neck and saw what the Rangers had been looking at previously. "You ask me, everyone deserves a second chance. Just because someone hurt you doesn't give you a right to hold a grudge and try to discredit them when they're trying to do good."

"Had no idea you were that idealistic," Devin said.

"Wait," Tsukimaru said, looking through the site some more. "Her daughter was assaulted by the Psycho Rangers at the beginning of the Angel Grove attacks."

"You mean when the Space Rangers were around?" Wayne asked.

"Yeah," Tsukimaru replied.

"No wonder she's got a grudge," Kaitlyn said. "To be honest, I'm not so sure I'd be as understanding as Raye if someone were to attack my kid like that."

"What's your name?" Raye asked Tsukimaru.

"Terry," Tsukimaru replied, using the alias Dimitria had made for him.

"You look familiar," Raye said. "I think I might've seen you before, but I don't quite know where."

"Probably a fashion magazine," Devin cracked. "He's pretty enough for one."

Tsukimaru ignored it, continuing what he was doing. "I'm checking out the message boards right now. A lot of people are protesting her claims about the Psychos, saying that they're good guys now and they're probably trying to atone for what they did." He paused. "She fired right back at them, telling them that years of therapy for her daughter were undone when she saw the Psycho Rangers in the news."

A look of guilt appeared on the faces of all six Rangers. Inside the main five's minds, their Psycho selves' hearts were tearing.

_We did this,_ Psycho Red said. _We ruined an innocent girl's life. Never mind that it didn't matter to us, then it made it even worse! And who knows how many other people's lives we ruined?_

Psycho Pink was railing at Zordon, as if he could hear her anguished and angry cries. _Why did you put us back in this world! Did you do it just so that we'd die of guilt once we discovered our hearts! Are you satisfied now, old man! ARE YOU!_

"Kieran?" Raye asked.

"Yeah, Raye?" Kieran replied, his voice heavy.

"You ok?" Raye asked. "You and your friends look like you're about to cry."

Tsukimaru signed off from the Internet and closed the laptop.

"We're ok," Kieran lied.

* * *

After school, the six Rangers walked down to the teen center to do their homework. Tsukimaru had finished within only a few minutes.

"You're smart," Kaitlyn said. "Puts me to shame."

"No, I'm not really," Tsukimaru replied. "Earth mathematics and sciences are just simpler than those where I come from." A hooded look of self-loathing came into his golden eyes upon those last four words. Kaitlyn knew exactly how he felt, for she felt it, too. She _was_ Psycho Yellow now, and thus carried her memories.

"Just try helping us out a bit," Kaitlyn suggested, in an attempt to break the tension.

Suddenly, a special live news report came on. It reported another attack from the Kirai Rangers. As par for the course when such things happened, the Rangers found an excuse to slip out.

"Let's put these powers to some actual good," Kieran snarled, his voice filled with anger and hatred, both felt by his alter ego for himself.

"Psycho Spirit Fusion!" the five Rangers shouted.

"Twisted Aura Exchange!" Tsukimaru shouted.

"Aurora Riders!" the five Psycho Rangers shouted.

"Aurarider!" Psycho Silver shouted.

* * *

Their riders came to them and the six Psychos jumped on them and drove to the scene of the attack. When they arrived, they found the Kirai Rangers trashing everything, blasting it with bolts of purple-black lightning, their own powers, or blasts of warped air.

"Stop right there," Psycho Red snarled.

"Sure, why not?" Kirai Red replied. "There's no fun in random chaos. Now, _meaningful_ chaos? There's something to that."

"Meaningful?" Psycho Pink asked. "You find this meaningful?"

"It served a purpose," Kirai Pink replied. "And that was bringing you six down here."

"Poor tormented Psychos," Kirai Blue sneered. "Don't you get it? You can't be good. No matter how many times you make the world safe for kids and puppies and Christmas and all that crap, they'll never fully trust you. Someone will always see you as the evil bastards that tried to destroy Angel Grove."

Psycho Blue let out an insane howl of rage and lunged at his hateful counterpart with his Psycho Axe. Kirai Blue easily countered with the Kirai Tomahawk and viciously slashed the twisted Blue Ranger.

Kirai Red threw his twin swords into the air and fired bolts of purple-black lightning at Psycho Red, following up with a black fireball. He caught his swords as they fell and crossed them for a fire attack he called:

"Dark Fire Cross!"

The cross of black flame shot right through Psycho Red.

"Miserable bastard!" the twisted Red Ranger snarled. "Phantom Fire Wave!" He fired a wave of unholy fire at his hateful counterpart.

Kirai Pink was lashing at Psycho Pink with two rose whips. She did a graceful twirl in midair, lashing the twisted Pink Ranger with one whip and withdrawing it as the other closed in. Kirai Pink lashed with both at the same time, which turned out to be a bad idea, as her Psycho counterpart grabbed both whips. Ignoring the pain of the thorns biting through her gauntleted hands, Psycho Pink used the whips as a slingshot to kick her hateful equivalent.

Psycho Yellow and Kirai Yellow were in a duel of slings. Both were firing bursts of yellow energy at each other. Both had taken up the tactic of dodging each other's attacks as they themselves attacked. In other words, it was like fighting a mirror.

The Black Rangers were fighting each other as well, Kirai Black slashing Psycho Black with the Kirai Double Edge and Psycho Black slashing back with the Psycho Rod.

Finally, Psycho Silver and Kirai Silver were shooting bolts of silver and black-and-silver lightning at each other. They were also shooting blasts of silver energy out of their combination gun-sword weapons. Then they slashed each other with the blades when they got up close.

"Eclipse Wind Slash!"

"Black Wind Slash!"

Both the Psycho Blazer and the Kirai Gunblade had wind swirling around their blades. Their respective wielders, Psycho Silver and Kirai Silver, slashed each other with them.

Finally, both teams of Rangers regrouped. "Let's end this!" Psycho Red snarled.

"Yes, let's!" Kirai Red agreed.

"Twisted Element!" the Psycho Rangers shouted.

"Deathly Element!" the Kirai Rangers shouted.

Both sets of Rangers fired their elemental energies at each other, resulting in destructive recoil that blew them all back. In addition, the shockwave from the attack triggered reverberations in the ground and cracked or shattered windows within a five-block radius.

The two Ranger teams got up, Kirai Red smirking evilly underneath his helmet. "This isn't over, Psycho Rangers. Your end will come."

"In the meantime, sayonara!" Kirai Black added as he and the other Kirai Rangers warped away.

"Damn it!" Psycho Yellow snapped, kicking at a piece of rubble in frustration. "We can never beat them! Every time we try, it always ends up in a draw, or they pull back when they're perfectly capable of killing us where we stand!"

"They're prolonging this," Psycho Black said. "They enjoy kicking us around."

"Let's get back to the teen center," Psycho Blue suggested. Then with the other four Psycho Rangers, "De-Fusion!"

"Exchange!" Psycho Silver shouted.

* * *

The demorphed Psycho Rangers returned to the teen center, and Tsukimaru helped them with their homework, enlightening them to shortcuts that weren't known to Earth scientists. However, the shadow of the Psycho Rangers' past hovered over them like a suffocating miasma.

* * *

The six Rangers returned to the Neji Chamber, despondent.

"What troubles you?" Dimitria asked.

"No matter how much good we do now, it won't change what we did then," Kieran spat bitterly.

"The past cannot be erased," Dimitria replied. "It cannot be changed, except at great risk. All one can logically hope to do is learn from it. You cannot let guilt and self-hatred rule you, lest it destroy you."

"We can't beat them," Faith said. "The Kirai Rangers, they're just too powerful for us."

"Perhaps you could use some help," a voice said.

The six Rangers turned to see a male figure dressed in a black suit with pieces of gold armor over it, a gold belt, and gold-trimmed white gloves and boots. The helmet was completely black, with gold outlining the visor. He carried a staff which top was adorned by the visor emblem.

"Gold Ranger," Dimitria said. "It is good to see you."

"Hello, Dimitria," the Gold Ranger replied. He looked at the six Rangers. "So you are the ones who possess the powers of the Psycho Rangers."

"Yeah," Kieran replied. "I'm Kieran, Psycho Red."

"Liam, Psycho Blue."

"Faith, Psycho Pink."

"Kaitlyn, Psycho Yellow."

"Darien, Psycho Black."

"Tsukimaru, Psycho Silver."

"I know that the Kirai Rangers are too much for you to handle by yourselves," the Gold Ranger said. "It is understandable, as they defeated many of the galaxy's best warriors before they were sealed. I am here to grant you the power of those that defeated them three thousand years ago. I do not expect you to use those powers yourselves, though."

"But I know seven who can," Dimitria said.

* * *

In Angel Grove, a town not that far away from Los Angeles, Kimberly and Tommy Oliver were in the park, watching the sky as the sun began to set. It had been a long, hard road for them to get where they were, metaphorically speaking.

In the beginning of their relationship, they had been two of the first Rangers recruited by Zordon, pink and green. After Tommy's powers had permanently burned out, he had left Angel Grove for a while, only to come back as the White Ranger, wielder of the Saba Sword and pilot of the White Tigerzord. After Kimberly's Pink Ranger powers had been drained by the loss of her Power Coin, she had left for the Florida Pan Global gymnastics competition and Kat had become the Pink Ranger. Shortly after the Power Coins had been destroyed and Tommy had become the Red Zeo Ranger, Kimberly had broken up with him by letter. It had taken Tommy quite a while to get over it, and he'd dated Kat for a while, but they came to terms with the fact that friendship was all that could be between them. After the Murianthas incident with Divatox and giving up the Red Turbo Ranger powers to T.J., Tommy had found Kimberly again and they'd reconciled.

In time, the long-estranged couple had rediscovered their love for each other, even discovered that it had never really gone away. Two years ago, they were perfectly ready to serve as best man and maid of honor for Jason and Trini at their wedding, but after Trini's death, they'd figured that life was too short and gotten engaged themselves. Now they were married.

It wasn't always easy; nothing worth having was easy. It didn't help much that a year ago, Tommy and Jason had resumed their Red Ranger powers and gone off with a bunch of other Red Rangers to fight the remnants of the Machine Empire. Jokingly, Kimberly had suggested that she and the other former Pink Rangers get together for their own mission. She and Tommy had had a good laugh over that one. They were very happy with each other, though.

However, their happy life was to be disrupted again, as a teleportation beam carried them away in balls of red and green light.

* * *

On Aquitar, Billy was as happy as he could be. The Aquitian technology never ceased to amaze him, even after six or seven years spent on the watery planet. Of course, he was even happier with his wife Cestria. Every day with her was paradise. The only flaw in their relationship was that Billy was quite the workaholic, and would spend far too much time cooped up in a lab, which wasn't too different from what he did on Earth. In extreme cases, Cestria would have to resort to some persuasive methods that could be described only as . . . below the belt.

Anyway, Billy was almost finished when blue light coalesced around him and removed him from Aquitar.

* * *

In Africa, Rocky and Aisha DeSantos were caring for an injured lion cub. They had been friends for quite a while in Stone Canyon before moving to Angel Grove and becoming replacement Red and Yellow Rangers for Jason and Trini. After the business with Master Vile and the Zeo Crystals, Aisha had gone to Africa to care for sick animals. Rocky had stayed to become the Blue Zeo Ranger, and after passing the position of Blue Turbo Ranger to Justin, he'd joined Aisha in Africa. They'd fallen in love, and gotten married.

As hard as their work was, they enjoyed it, and being with each other. They were to get a break from their work, for indigo and yellow lights surrounded them and carried them away.

* * *

Jason lay on his bed, recalling his relationship with Trini. They had started out as friends and fellow Rangers, red and yellow. After passing on their powers to Rocky and Aisha, they'd gone on to the Switzerland Peace Conference. It was there that the seeds of love had blossomed. It had been hard for him to leave her to become the Gold Ranger, but he had no choice, as no one wanted the golden powers to fade or be used for evil. After the powers had threatened to kill him from the inside, they'd been transferred back to Triforian Prince Trey, the original wielder.

After the Murianthas business with Divatox, when he and Kimberly had been kidnapped as sacrifices for a fiery demon named Maligore, Jason had returned to Trini and their relationship became official. Three years ago, Trini had proposed to Jason and he had accepted. Two years ago, they would have been married, if not for some drunk driver ramming Trini's car. He'd lived, but she hadn't.

It still ate him up inside, even to this day. However, Trini wouldn't have wanted him to spend the rest of his days moping. So, he had resolved to move on with his life and be able to look back on his days with Trini with a smile, not tears.

His life as he knew it now was about to be disrupted. Orange light formed around him and carried him away in a shining ball.

* * *

Kat Hillard was just reflecting. After graduating from high school and passing on the Pink Turbo Ranger powers to Cassie, she had studied dance at Julliard. She had graduated with flying colors and was now a famous dancer. Ah, how she loved to dance.

She missed her friends, though. It always seemed that after you were done being a Ranger, you ended up drifting away from your friends that were still Rangers or had retired as well. Of course, that was probably because now they could all focus on other things besides saving the world.

Now it seemed as if she would get another chance to save the world, as she was carried away in a ball of purple light.

* * *

The seven former Rangers landed inside the Neji Chamber.

"Dimitria?" Tommy asked.

"Greetings, Tommy," Dimitria said. She looked at all seven of the former Rangers. "Greetings to you all."

Jason looked, and saw the Gold Ranger. "Trey. Long time, no see."

"It is good to see you again, Jason," the Gold Ranger said.

"What brings you here?" Kat asked. She looked at the Psycho Rangers. "Are you Rangers?"

"Yeah," Faith replied. "Psycho Rangers."

"Psycho Rangers?" Jason echoed.

"Andros, T.J., and Leo told us about the Psycho Rangers once," Tommy said. "From their description, the Psychos were total bad-asses, insanely powerful and insanely fixated on destruction."

"One out of two," Darien said. "Yeah, we're seriously powerful in morphed form, but the destruction isn't our thing. Not anymore."

"I should bring you up to speed," Dimitria said. "Recently, the Kirai launched a campaign to take Earth's life force. Zordon called upon the spirits of the Psycho Rangers and merged them with human bodies and souls. These six here," she looked to the Psycho Rangers, "can call upon their powers whenever needed."

"But those powers aren't enough, anymore," the Gold Ranger continued. "The Kirai have resurrected their own Ranger force and their Rangers are even stronger than the Psycho Rangers. The only ones to ever defeat them were the Prism Rangers of Triforia."

"Let me guess," Billy said. "You want us to wield the Prism powers."

"But how?" Rocky asked. "We've seen what happens when Triforian energies are hosted by human bodies. Our physiology is just too different from yours."

"You will only need to hold the powers for this particular mission," the Gold Ranger replied. "Afterwards, you will relinquish them." A flash of golden light later and Prince Trey stood before them in his gold-trimmed black royal robes. The emblem adorning the top of his staff opened and multicolored light blazed from it. The rays stopped at the former Rangers' hands, and when the light faded, prism orbs were revealed. In the light of the Neji Chamber, the prisms glowed with all the colors in the color spectrum.

The prisms glowed again, but one color, and a different one for each. Kimberly's glowed red, Jason's glowed orange, Aisha's glowed yellow, Tommy's glowed green, Billy's glowed blue, Rocky's glowed indigo, and Kat's glowed purple. Then the prisms leaped out of their hands and whirled around their wrists, creating a bright light. The light faded, revealing rectangular devices with the prisms inserted in the far end. Bladed black rings, trimmed in each Ranger's particular color, surrounded the prisms. The devices were all decorated with a golden Y.

"Red?" Kimberly wondered. "Me?"

"Yes," Trey replied. "The original wielder of the Red Prism Morpher was my ancestor, _Princess_ Traia. You will be the Red Prism Ranger."

"Looks like I'm back in green," Tommy said.

"Yes, Tommy," Trey confirmed. "You are the Green Prism Ranger. Jason, you are the Orange Prism Ranger. Aisha, you are the Yellow Prism Ranger. Billy, you are the Blue Prism Ranger. Rocky, you are the Indigo Prism Ranger. Kat, you are the Purple Prism Ranger."

The alarm went off suddenly.

"The Kirai Rangers have felt the power that defeated them rise again," Dimitria said. "They are awaiting you, believing that this time they will be victorious."

"Let's go," Kimberly said.

* * *

All thirteen Rangers were teleported to the site of what would be the final battle with the Kirai Rangers. That site happened to be an abandoned construction site.

The Kirai Rangers were there, in their human forms. Kirai Red was an Asian teen with spiky blood-red hair and ruby eyes. Kirai Blue was a dark-skinned Hispanic teen with electric blue hair and eyes. Kirai Black was a Native American with midnight-black hair and blue-black eyes.

"Hello, Rangers," Kirai Red said, an evil sneer on his face. "Ready to die?"

"Try asking yourself that question," Tsukimaru retorted.

"Ready?" Kieran asked.

"Yeah," Faith replied.

"Morphing's like riding a bike," Tommy said. "You do it once, and you'll always know how to do it."

"Then let's do this," Kieran said.

"Psycho Spirit Fusion!" the five Psycho Rangers shouted.

"Twisted Aura Exchange!" Tsukimaru shouted.

In flashes of multicolored light, they morphed.

"Ready?" Kimberly asked.

"We're ready, Kim," Kat replied.

"Seven Ray Change!" the Prism Rangers shouted, spinning the bladed rings on their morphers to trigger their transformation.

A gold-trimmed white Y covered the front of the Prism Ranger's uniforms. They wore gold-trimmed white gloves and boots with gold-buckled white belts. The helmets had black visors with silver mouth-plates.

"This is so very awesome," Kimberly said.

"Good to be green again," Tommy said.

"True blue," Billy said.

"With you there, Billy," Rocky said. "Although mine is a more purplish color than yours."

"I always did look good in purple," Kat said.

"Yellow is where it's at," Aisha said.

"Not quite red, but then I was gold, so I guess I can get used to it," Jason said.

The Kirai Rangers drew their morphers. "Kirai Matrix, Ranger Power!" they shouted, changing to their Ranger forms.

"Psycho Weapons!" the Psycho Rangers shouted, drawing their weapons.

"Prism Weapons!" the Prism Rangers shouted.

"Prism Bow!" Kimberly shouted, drawing a red-and-black bow.

"Prism Saber!" Jason shouted, drawing a silver-bladed sword with an orange handle.

"Prism Daggers!" Aisha shouted, drawing a pair of jeweled daggers.

"Prism Scythe!" Tommy shouted, drawing a scythe.

"Prism Lance!" Billy shouted, drawing a blue lance with three blades on each end.

"Prism Axis!" Rocky shouted, drawing twin axes.

"Prism Baton!" Kat shouted, drawing a purple-and-gold baton.

"Kirai Weapons!" the Kirai Rangers shouted, drawing their weapons.

The Rangers all went forth into battle, Psycho and Prism versus Kirai. Psycho Red and Kimberly took on Kirai Red. Psycho Blue and Billy fought Kirai Blue. Psycho Yellow and Aisha fought Kirai Yellow. Psycho Black and Tommy fought Kirai Black. Psycho Pink and Kat engaged Kirai Pink in battle, and Jason and Rocky backed up Psycho Silver against Kirai Silver.

Kirai Red was moving at warping speed and Psycho Red and Kimberly were managing to keep up.

"Kaleidoscopic Arrow!" Kimberly shouted, firing multicolored energy arrows out of the Prism Bow.

"Psycho Sword, Jade Lightning Slash!" Psycho Red shouted, slashing Kirai Red with a sword charged with green electricity.

Psycho Blue and Billy were slashing at Kirai Blue with their weapons. Kirai Blue was evenly matched with Psycho Blue with his tomahawk, but Billy had a dual-bladed lance, and that put him at quite a disadvantage.

"Kaleidoscopic Double Slash!" Billy shouted, striking Kirai Blue with both ends of the lance, which glowed with multicolored light.

Psycho Yellow and Kirai Yellow were firing at each other with their slings while dodging back and forth. Psycho Yellow finally tagged Kirai Yellow, and then Aisha leaped off her shoulders and struck Kirai Yellow with her daggers.

Psycho Black and Tommy fought against Kirai Black. Kirai Black had Psycho Black at a slight disadvantage with his double-bladed staff, but Tommy lashed with the Prism Scythe. Then he and Psycho Black struck together.

Psycho Pink fired her Psycho Arrow at Kirai Pink, who retaliated with her Kirai Crossbow and rose whip. However, Kat caught the rose whip with her Prism Baton and pulled the hateful Pink Ranger close enough to her to strike her hard. Psycho Pink continued the assault with a green lightning arrow and a storm of dark pink rose petals.

Psycho Silver and Kirai Silver clashed with their weapons, while Jason and Rocky struck with their Prism Saber and Axis.

"Psycho Blazer, Silver Lightning Slash!" Psycho Silver shouted, slashing Kirai Silver. Jason and Rocky struck as well with a combined kaleidoscopic slash attack.

The three Ranger teams regrouped.

"Time to end this," Psycho Red shouted. He and the other four Psycho Rangers channeled their energies.

"Yes, it is," Kirai Red said, he and the other four Kirai Rangers channeling their energies as well.

The Silver Rangers of both teams charged up their energies as well, as did the Prism Rangers.

"Jade-Silver Lightning Attack!"

"Dark-Silver Lightning Attack!"

"Kaleidoscopic Light Attack!"

The Jade-Silver Lightning Attack and Kaleidoscopic Light Attack together collided with the Dark-Silver Lightning Attack. The combined powers of the Psycho and Prism Rangers proved too much for the evil powers of the Kirai Rangers. Their blasts repelled the Dark-Silver Lightning Attack and struck the Kirai Rangers. In an explosion of lightning and light, the Kirai Rangers disintegrated, leaving behind charred rings.

Psycho Pink walked over to the Kirai rings and picked up the pink ring. The other five Psycho Rangers picked up their corresponding rings.

"You can rest easy now," Psycho Pink said softly.

* * *

The Psycho and Prism Rangers returned to the Neji Chamber and demorphed.

"So many years . . . but you never really forget what it's like," Kimberly said.

"Yeah, I know," Tommy said.

"But we have to give it up again," Jason replied. "These powers weren't even meant for our species. Besides, we all have our own lives to lead now." He undid the Velcro strap that bound his Prism Morpher to his wrist. The other six Prism Rangers did the same and they all returned the morphers to Trey.

"You've done well," Trey said. "Good luck to you all." That said, he teleported away in a flash of gold lightning-accented black light.

"Good luck to you kids," Kat said. "It's not easy, trying to atone for past evil. I've been there."

"Good luck to you, too," Faith said.

"It's time for you to return to your lives," Dimitria said. "It has been an honor. Jason, I am very sorry for your loss."

Jason smiled wistfully. "Thank you, Dimitria."

Dimitria teleported the seven former Rangers away, back to their lives.

* * *

The next day, the Psycho Rangers had made a press speech for the general public of Los Angeles.

"Hello," Psycho Red said. "I'll keep this short. I know that many of you see us as heroes. I also know that many of you see us as the monsters that ravaged Angel Grove five years ago. The second is more accurate than the first. We can't take back what we've done, and we don't really consider ourselves heroes. We simply have a chance to atone for the things that we've done. We're sorry for everything we've done, and we know that some of you will never forgive us, but we simply wish to do what's right now."

To be continued . . .

Next: Kanika's had enough of the Psycho Rangers. Time to do things as they should have been done and put an end to them.


	10. The End or the Beginning

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book Two: "Twisted Element"

Chapter 5: "The End or the Beginning"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers do not belong to me. Everyone and everything else does. The song Kaitlyn sings is Evanescence's "Taking Over Me."

Author's note: This will be the beginning of the end of the Psycho Matrix series. We've seen the Psychos restored to physical life through five human teenagers. We've seen them learn how to feel, how to care, and how to love. We've seen a former foe turn on everything he ever knew and join the side of good. Now it all comes to a head in this.

Translation: "Hiryu" – "Fire Dragon"

Kaitlyn's band, Gold Thunder, was performing in the club Argent. The other five Psycho Rangers were there as well, watching.

Tsukimaru, aliases Terry Haller and Psycho Silver, watched Kaitlyn play her guitar with joy. His joy came from the blissful expression on Kaitlyn's face as she played her instrument.

"She's good, isn't she?" Kieran asked him.

"No, she's not," Tsukimaru replied. "She's perfect."

Faith just smiled at him. "To you she is."

Tsukimaru was too absorbed in Kaitlyn's playing to reply to Faith's remark. After the song ended, Catrina looked out at the audience.

"I won't be singing this last song," she said. She looked at Kaitlyn. "Kaitlyn will."

Kaitlyn stared at Catrina with surprise in her hazel eyes. "Me?"

"Yeah," Catrina confirmed. "I certainly can't sing it because I don't have the emotion required for it to have an effect." She looked through the audience, searching for a certain dark-haired, golden-eyed young man, and winked at Kaitlyn after finding him. She stepped aside, and allowed Kaitlyn to take center stage.

"This isn't my own song," Kaitlyn confessed, "but it expresses how I feel inside." She looked through the audience, finding Tsukimaru, and locked eyes with him, hazel meeting golden. Then she began to sing.

_You don't remember me, but I remember you_

_I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you_

_But who can decide what they dream, and dream I do._

_I believe in you_

_I'll give up everything just to find you_

_I have to be with you_

_To live, to breathe_

_You're taking over me._

_  
Have you forgotten all I know, and all we had?_

_You saw me mourning my love for you, and touched my hand_

_I knew you loved me then._

_I believe in you_

_I'll give up everything just find you_

_I have to be with you_

_To live, to breathe_

_You're taking over me._

_  
I look in the mirror and see your face_

_If I look deep enough_

_So many things inside that are_

_Just like you are taking over._

_I believe in you_

_I'll give up everything just to find you_

_I have to be with you_

_To live, to breathe_

_You're taking over me._

_I believe in you_

_(I believe in you)_

_I'll give up everything just to find you_

_I have to be with you_

_To live, to breathe_

_You're taking over me (taking over me)_

_You're taking over me (taking over me)_

_You're taking over me._

For what seemed like an eternity, Tsukimaru and Kaitlyn looked at each other. Time seemed to stand still, and there was no one but the two of them.

Finally, the applause of the patrons snapped them both out of their daze. The five girls of Gold Thunder stepped off the stage only to encounter a man dressed quite well. Not like in a suit, but he obviously took great pains with his appearance.

"So you're the young ladies of Gold Thunder," he said. "I've heard lots about you."

"You have?" Catrina asked.

"Yes," the man confirmed. "You're quite the local celebrities in this city. I was wondering how you'd feel about going big time."

"Are you serious?" Eden asked.

"Very serious, indeed," the man replied. "I'm an agent for Artemis Entertainment." He pulled out a card from his jacket and gave it to Catrina. "You don't have to decide now. I'll give you some time to think about it, but my bosses aren't willing to wait indefinitely. The card has my number on it, for you to call me when you've made your decision."

"Thanks," Catrina said.

"Hopefully, I'll see you wonderful young ladies in the near future," the man said. He walked away and out of the club.

Mia looked over Catrina's shoulder. "'Kai Asaji.' Cool guy."

The other five Rangers came over to the members of Gold Thunder. "Whoa. That guy must be serious," Darien said.

"You sure about this?" Faith asked. "It could always be some kind of scam. Those tend to happen a lot."

"You're paranoid, Faith," Liam said.

"No, I'm just looking out for Kait," Faith replied.

"Thanks," Kaitlyn said, "but I think this guy's on the level."

"Which level?" Darien asked.

Lana snickered slightly. "Good one." Then she saw Tsukimaru. "So you're the guy Kaitlyn's so smitten with. I can see why."

"There's more to him than just his looks, Lana," Kaitlyn protested.

"I know, I know," Lana said blithely.

"So you gonna go get famous or what?" Faith asked.

"We're thinking about it," Catrina replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Kirai warship, Kanika brooded.

Ever since they had come to Earth, they had experienced nothing but defeat. Granted, her lieutenants had soundly thrashed the Psycho Rangers in their first battle, but since then . . .

First, Tsukimaru had fallen in love with Psycho Yellow's human half, ultimately falling on Yuna's glaive to protect her. Second, the traitor had become a Psycho Ranger himself. Third, the Kirai Rangers had dominated the Psychos and their sixth had been able to take them all on by herself, but the Psycho Rangers had merged with their human halves, making them even stronger. Worse yet, the Prism Ranger powers had been temporarily given to seven former Power Rangers, tipping the scales very heavily in the Psychos' favor, ultimately leading to the deaths of the Kirai Rangers.

"Enough is enough," she said, standing up. "Kokure, Yuna, Xaran, get in here."

Kokure and the two lieutenants arrived. "Yes, Kanika-hime?" Xaran asked.

"I've had enough of being defeated by the Psycho Rangers," Kanika declared. "We're going to make them pay. Instead of wasting our time fighting them, we're simply going to annihilate their precious city."

"That sounds very pleasant indeed," Kokure said.

"Yes, it is," Kanika replied. "We'll destroy the city and flush out the Rangers that way. Then we'll kill them and put their heads up on pikes in our Earth base to show everyone what happens when you defy our power."

"We don't have an Earth base, Kanika-hime," Yuna corrected.

"Of course we don't, Yuna," Kanika said nonchalantly. "But we will. We will have a base on Earth once we conquer it, and then we'll strip that worthless planet of its life energy. Once we have it, we will have all that we need to make ourselves . . . immortal."

"Yes, with the power of the planets inside us, we shall never die," Kokure added. "We will live forever, and we will be all-powerful."

Kanika stalked toward the bridge of the ship. "Prepare to leave orbit. We're going straight to Earth, and we'll finish this for good!"

* * *

Back on Earth, Dimitria called the Psycho Rangers. "Rangers, you must come to the Neji Chamber immediately."

"We're on our way, Dimitria," Kieran replied. The Rangers activated the transporters in their morphers and were swept off to the Neji Chamber in multicolored balls of light. "What's going on?"

"The Kirai are preparing for their final strike," Dimitria replied.

"'Final strike'?" Faith echoed.

"After their previous defeats at your hands, I imagine that they have become rather weary of you," Dimitria explained.

The screen lit up, and the Rangers could see a giant dark robot stalk through the city.

"Man, that thing's taller than most skyscrapers!" Darien exclaimed.

"What is it?" Kaitlyn asked.

"The Kirai warship," Tsukimaru replied, horror in his voice. "They've changed it into a battle mecha capable of destroying everything in its path."

"How do we stop that thing?" Faith asked.

"We just do," Kieran replied, raising his left wrist. Then with the other four Rangers, "Psycho Spirit Fusion!"

"Twisted Aura Exchange!" Tsukimaru shouted.

* * *

The morphed Psycho Rangers raced to the scene in their riders, which they had converted to flight mode.

"Hey, Kanika!" Psycho Red shouted. "You wanna stop hiding in that thing and fight us?"

"Look, Kan, no mecha!" Psycho Pink shouted.

"Miserable fools," Kanika sneered. "Weapons!"

The Kirai mecha raised its arms and compartments in those arms opened to reveal twin gun barrels.

"Lasers, fire!" Kanika ordered.

The Kirai mecha fired laser bursts at the Psycho Rangers, striking Pink's and Blue's Aurora Riders.

"We've been hit!" Blue shouted, and he and Pink began to plummet.

"Blue! Pink!" Psycho Black shouted.

"You'll pay for that, bitch," Psycho Yellow vowed. "Psycho Energy Blast!"

A beam of yellow energy was fired from Yellow's Aurora Rider and it struck the Kirai mecha.

"Psycho Energy Blast!" Red and Black shouted, firing the lasers of their Aurora Riders.

"I've had enough of you pests!" Kanika shouted and the Kirai mecha's arm swatted them and Yellow aside, knocking them out of the air and leaving Psycho Silver by himself in his Aurarider.

"Just you and me," Silver said. He flew at the Kirai mecha, Psycho Blazer raised. "Silver Lightning Slash!" He slashed the Kirai mecha with the silver lightning-charged gun-sword.

"That hurt, you little traitor," Kanika snarled. "Missiles, fire!"

This time, the Kirai mecha's gun barrels fired missiles at Silver, who swerved out of the way.

"Auralaser, fire!" he shouted, firing the lasers in his Aurarider.

"I've had enough!" Yuna shouted.

"Yuna, don't!" Kokure warned, but Yuna jumped out of the mecha and slashed Psycho Silver with her Kirai Glaive at hyper-speed, knocking him out of the air. Yuna jumped down after him, pursuing him with vicious slashes as he struggled to defend himself.

"Bad idea for you to leave that mecha of yours," Yellow sneered.

"And we're about to show you why," Pink added.

"Psycho Striker!" the five Psycho Rangers shouted, combining their weapons. "Fire!"

The Psycho Striker unleashed a wave of green energy with lightning circulating through it, but Yuna caught it on her glaive and batted it back at the Psycho Rangers. She threw the glaive into the air and charged at all six Rangers, her fists and feet her weapons for the moment.

And those fists and feet were certainly powerful. The six Rangers found themselves being thoroughly pummeled, especially Silver.

"I hate you, Tsukimaru!" she screamed, beating him viciously. "I hate you, even more than I loved you!"

"We can't choose who we love, Yuna!" Psycho Silver protested, blocking her attacks as best he could. "Although Kaitlyn's certainly a better choice for me than you, blackened by hate as you are."

Just then, the glaive fell back into Yuna's hand and she slashed Psycho Silver with it six times. She ended her attack with a blast of warped air, one that pierced him like a knife.

"Silver!" Yellow shouted. "Sofia Lightning Strike!" She fired a blast of golden lightning at Yuna.

"You!" Yuna screamed, forgetting Silver and charging at Yellow. "You miserable human slut!" She slashed her viciously, even more so than she had done to Silver. "He was mine! _Mine!_"

Yellow just blocked, marveling at how anger could cloud a person's fighting skills. "Apparently, he didn't think so," she sneered, deliberately adding fuel to the fire.

Yuna slashed at Yellow, and Yellow caught it, holding her fast. "He's not yours, Yuna. Get over it, you stupid bitch."

She held the Psycho Sling right at Yuna's stomach and fired, sending a painful jolt of energy straight through her.

"Rangers," Dimitria said in their communications system. "I have a way for you to even the playing field with Kanika."

"What is it, Dimitria?" Psycho Red asked.

"I'm sending you your own Zords," Dimitria replied. The six Rangers looked up and saw six machines flying toward them. Five were shaped like animals, while the sixth resembled a cross between a shuttle and fighter jet. The Zord in the lead was shaped like a dragon and was colored red with a black underside. The two Zords flying beside it were pink and yellow and designed like insects, only the pink one was shaped like a wasp and the yellow was shaped like a hornet. On the ground, there were two Zords, ice blue and jet black; the blue one looked like a polar bear and the black one looked like an anteater.

"Freakin' awesome," Psycho Pink said.

"With you there," Psycho Black said.

"Psycho Red, you will pilot the DragonFire Phantom Zord," Dimitria explained. "Psycho Black, the AnteaterEarth Vulgar Zord is yours to command. Psycho Blue, the PolarIce Bizarre Zord will be driven by you. Psycho Yellow, you will control the HornetLightning Sofia Zord. Psycho Pink, you will pilot the StingerRose Jealous Zord. Last but not least, Psycho Silver, you will pilot the Eclipse Winger."

"What are we waiting for?" Psycho Blue asked. "Let's do this!"

The six Rangers leaped into the air and jumped into their Psycho Zords.

"How pumped am I?" Psycho Black declared.

"This rocks!" Psycho Blue shouted.

"No doubt," Psycho Yellow agreed.

"I like this Zord," Psycho Pink said. "The seat's nice and comfy." She stretched inside the seat, or as much as she could in the tight black-and-pink armor that was her Ranger suit.

"Mine's not that bad," Psycho Red said. "The dragon motif's cool."

"Stay focused," Psycho Silver advised.

Kanika, Kokure, and Xaran looked out at the Psycho Zords.

"They have Zords!" Xaran shouted, indignant.

Kanika just smirked. "That makes things far more interesting." To the Psycho Rangers, "What do you Earth-humans say in situations like this? Oh, yes. Bring it on!"

"Consider it brought!" Psycho Red replied. The Phantom Zord flew into battle. "Phantom Zord, Hiryu Attack!"

The Phantom Zord ignited into flames and flew at and around the Kirai mecha, creating a flaming circle that constricted around it.

"Ha! Feel the burn?" Psycho Red asked mockingly.

The Kirai mecha's barrels sank back inside its arms, but blades extended from the arms. The Kirai mecha slashed at the Phantom Zord.

"Take a chill pill!" Psycho Blue shouted. "Bizarre Zord, Blizzard Attack!"

The Bizarre Zord fired a wave of snow and hail that paralyzed the Kirai mecha.

"We're frozen!" Kokure shouted.

"Not for long!" Kanika shouted back. "Xaran, activate the heating system!"

The heating system activated, melting the ice and snow that covered the Kirai mecha.

"Vulgar Zord, Earth Splitter!" Psycho Black shouted.

The Vulgar Zord stabbed the ground with its head, creating an earth-splitting wave of energy that went through the ground and right at the Kirai mecha. It wobbled and stumbled, but held its balance.

"Our turn!" Kokure shouted, and the Kirai mecha leaped at Blue's and Black's Zords, slashing with its bladed arms.

"Not in this lifetime, you evil witch!" Psycho Pink shouted, flying at the Kirai mecha with Yellow beside her. "StingerRose Jealous Zord!"

"HornetLightning Sofia Zord!" Psycho Yellow shouted.

Then the Psycho girls shouted together, "Change to Fighter Mode!"

That was when their Zords transformed. The abdomens split open and long shapely feminine legs emerged, the split abdomens forming a sort of skirt. The thoraxes split open, revealing humanoid torsos with arms and feminine curves and the thoraxes became shoulder pads. The insect-like heads tilted so that they were positioned like humanoid heads.

"They have Fighter Modes!" Yuna, having rejoined the other Kirai earlier, exclaimed in surprise.

Pink's and Yellow's Zords ran at the Kirai mecha and double-teamed it. They leaped into the air, somersaulted, and kicked it together.

"Damn, now those are some agile fighting machines," Red commented.

"Shit!" Blue exclaimed. "Why don't _we_ get Fighter Modes?"

"Who knows?" Black replied.

The Jealous and Sofia Zords removed the insect legs from their shoulder pads and attached them to the backs of their hands.

"Jealous Slash!" Pink commanded, sending the Jealous Zord slashing at the Kirai mecha at lightning speed.

"We're taking serious damage!" Yuna exclaimed.

"You state the obvious," Kanika replied in a deadpan tone. Then to Pink, "If that's the way it's going to be, then have a taste of your own medicine!" She sent the Kirai mecha slashing at Pink's Zord.

"Don't touch her!" Yellow shouted, going after the Kirai mecha with her Zord's own insect-leg claws and blocking its attacks at the same time.

"DragonFire Phantom Zord, Change to Fighter Mode!" Red commanded. Instantly, the Phantom Zord morphed from a draconic shape to a lithe humanoid shape with the dragon's head embedding itself in the Zord's torso.

The Phantom Zord took on the Kirai mecha, both machines moving at incredible speed.

"Dragon Fangs!" Psycho Red shouted, summoning curved twin blades into the Phantom Zord's hands. He slashed at the Kirai mecha. "Phantom Zord, Fire Dragon Blade!"

The scenery around the Phantom Zord shifted to blackness and fire as it slashed the Kirai mecha at insane speed.

"Enough of this!" Kanika snapped. At her command, the Kirai mecha caught the Phantom Zord's Dragon Fangs and threw the Zord aside. The Phantom Zord somersaulted and landed.

"We have to be careful," Psycho Red said. "We're in a city."

"Shit," Psycho Yellow said. "Who knows how much of this city this fight's already totaled?"

"Then let's take this outside of the city," Psycho Silver suggested.

As one, the Rangers proceeded to head out of the city.

"They're running away!" Kokure shouted with a look of triumph on her face.

"No, sister," Kanika replied. "They're trying to lure us away so that they don't have to worry about damaging their precious city fighting us. It doesn't matter where we take them down, so we can pursue them, anyway."

The Kirai mecha reconfigured itself into its original warship form and flew after the Psycho Rangers.

"We're just outside the city," Psycho Black said. "And we're not anywhere innocent people would be likely to inhabit."

"Then let's do this!" Psycho Blue exclaimed.

"Eclipse Winger, Argent Lasers!" Psycho Silver shouted, firing silver energy bursts at the Kirai mecha.

"He wants to play rough?" Xaran asked. "We can do that, too." The blades retracted, and the Kirai mecha fired bolts of plasma energy at the Eclipse Winger.

Psycho Silver dodged. "Good one, but not good enough. Eclipse Winger, Fighter Mode!"

The engines of the Winger opened up into legs and the nose split into upper arms that unfolded to reveal forearms and hands as a robotic head emerged.

The wings of the Eclipse Winger detached from the Winger's back and the Winger grasped them. "Winger Boomerang!" Psycho Silver shouted, throwing the wings at the Kirai mecha as a boomerang. Unfortunately, the hateful mecha caught it and threw it right back at him. The Eclipse Winger leaped out of the way and caught the wings back on its back and flew right at the Kirai mecha.

"Perhaps an up-close-and-personal approach will do it!" Silver shouted. "Argent Missiles, fire!"

The Eclipse Winger fired twin missiles at the Kirai mecha, creating a massive explosion.

"Yeah, we did it!" Psycho Pink shouted.

"Dude, we rock," Psycho Black said.

As the smoke cleared, the Rangers could see a familiar and much hated figure.

"_Hell,_ no!" Psycho Red exclaimed in disbelief.

"We're not dead yet, Rangers," Yuna said.

The Kirai mecha fired electromagnetic pulses at the Rangers' Zords, locking them in place.

"Damn it!" Psycho Yellow exclaimed. "I can't move!"

"Me neither," Psycho Pink said.

"None of us can move," Psycho Blue said.

"Of course not, Liam," Psycho Black said. "It's a freaking EM pulse!"

"Dimitria, what do we do?" Psycho Red asked. "With our Zords frozen, we're sitting ducks!"

"Yes, you are!" Kanika exclaimed. Just then, the Kirai mecha began tearing up the Psycho Zords. Once they were down, it started kicking at them. "Come on! Is that all you've got!"

"If their EMP froze our Zords, then who's to say a pulse of our own can't get them up again?" Psycho Pink suggested.

"That's a good idea, Faith," Psycho Red said. "Everyone concentrate your energies into the Zords!"

The Psychos placed their hands on the sides of their Zord consoles and channeled their energies into them. Green and silver lightning (green for the main five, silver for Silver) crackled in the cockpits and around the Zords.

"Now let's get up and finish this!" Psycho Blue exclaimed.

The Psychos righted their Zords.

"Round Two!" Psycho Black exclaimed.

"Rangers," Dimitria said, "combine your Zords into the Psycho Megazord. I'm sending you data on how to do this."

Suddenly, the Rangers found themselves awash in a sea of data.

"Let's do this," Psycho Red said. "Activate Megazord sequence!"

First, the Phantom Zord's arms folded up behind its back. The Sofia and Jealous Zords converted to their original insect-like forms and attached themselves to the Phantom Zord's torso, the heads splitting open to reveal hands and closing again once the hands had fully withdrawn. As this was happening, the Vulgar and Bizarre Zords configured themselves into legs and locked around the Phantom Zord's legs. The dragon's head detached itself from the Phantom Zord's torso and its Fighter Mode head detached as well, locking itself in the mouth of the dragon's head like a helmet. A three-pronged, flame-like red-accented tarnished silver headdress attached itself to the head, masking the Phantom Zord Fighter Mode's eyes, and a mouth-plate closed over the lower half of its face. It reattached to the Phantom Zord, and torso armor with the Psycho Rangers' symbol attached itself to the front.

The five Psycho Rangers sat in the cockpit of their Megazord, Red in front with Black and Blue next to him and Yellow and Pink behind and in between them.

"Psycho Megazord!" the five shouted.

"Ok, was anyone surprised that they did that?" Kokure asked sarcastically.

"Let's finish them!" Kanika shouted. The Kirai mecha fired its missiles at the Megazord, but the Megazord just stalked toward them, the missiles missing it by millimeters.

"Twisted Sword!" the Psycho Rangers shouted, summoning a sword with a wavy blade. The Psycho Megazord slashed at the Kirai mecha, but the hateful machine caught it in one hand and punched the Megazord with the other. In retaliation, the Psycho Megazord's left arm, formerly the StingerRose Jealous Zord, drew back and its fist struck the Kirai mecha forcefully, causing it to stumble back. The Megazord drew up its right leg, formerly the AnteaterEarth Vulgar Zord, and kicked the Kirai mecha.

"What do you say we join forces and finish this once and for all?" Psycho Silver suggested.

"Then come on!" Psycho Yellow shouted. "The more, the merrier."

"Engage Psycho Winger formation!" Psycho Silver shouted. The wings and cockpit of the Eclipse Winger detached from the body and the head sank back inside. The Psycho Megazord's torso armor detached as the Eclipse Winger's body took its place, its arms and legs folding up behind the Megazord's back. The wings and cockpit of the Winger attached to the Megazord's back and the headdress detached from the Megazord's head, replaced by a similar headdress but pure silver with black highlights.

"Psycho Winger Megazord!" all six Rangers exclaimed. Psycho Silver's seat had moved into the Megazord cockpit upon completion of the fusion and Yellow and Pink's seats had moved to the sides to make room. The new Megazord formation rose into the air and then flew down, an aura of green-and-silver lightning around it. "Twisted Sword Diving Slash!"

The Psycho Winger Megazord tore through the Kirai mecha with the attack and landed behind it as it fell in a tremendous explosion.

"We did it," Red said. "The threat of the Kirai is over."

However, a terrible feeling went through Silver, and it made him doubt the accuracy of his red leader's statement.

He turned out to be right, as the Kirai mecha rose from the flames.

"What the hell!" Black exclaimed.

"Why won't they just die already!" Pink asked, incensed.

"The mecha's too damaged to survive any more fighting," Xaran said.

"Oh, we can still use it as a weapon," Kanika said, a cold hard look in her eyes. "Activate the self-destruct sequence. Thirty seconds!"

"Done," Yuna said.

The Kirai mecha stalked toward the Psycho Winger Megazord. Its onboard computer counted down: "Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. Twenty-seven. Twenty-six. Twenty-five. Twenty-four . . ."

"What are they trying to do?" Blue asked.

"Eclipse Winger, break formation!" Silver ordered, separating the Eclipse Winger from the Psycho Megazord.

"Silver, what the hell are you doing!" Yellow asked.

"Protecting you," Silver replied, flying at the Kirai mecha and grabbing it in a chokehold.

"Thirteen. Twelve. Eleven . . ."

The Eclipse Winger flew up into the air, rising higher and higher.

"Tsukimaru!" Yellow shouted.

"Five. Four . . ."

"I love you," Silver replied.

"One."

Then there was an explosion high in the sky, right where the Eclipse Winger and the Kirai mecha had been.

"It can't be . . ." Psycho Red whispered.

"No. No. No," Yellow moaned. Then an anguished scream escaped her lips. "Tsukimaru!"

To be continued . . .

Next: With Psycho Silver presumed dead, the other five Rangers struggle to end the threat of the Kirai for good, but can they?


	11. End the Hatred

"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"

Book Two: "Twisted Element"

Chapter 6: "End the Hatred"

Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers do not belong to me. Everything else does.

Author's note: All right, it's the end of Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix. It's been a long, arduous journey for our favorite antiheroes but like all journeys, it must end. It'll end with a bang, though, as the Psycho Rangers strive to defeat the Kirai once and for all. I must warn you that some elements will be borrowed from the finales of Space, Time Force, and Ninja Storm, but only because they kicked so much ass.

"Tsukimaru!" Psycho Yellow screamed, leaping from the cockpit of the Psycho Megazord and racing to where the Eclipse Winger and Kirai mecha had exploded.

The other Psychos came after her. "There's nothing left, Kaitlyn," Psycho Pink said. "The explosion completely atomized both the Winger and the Kirai mecha. Even Tsukimaru couldn't survive that."

"He can't be gone," Psycho Yellow moaned, falling to her knees as she demorphed.

Psycho Red placed a hand on Kaitlyn's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but he is."

"Tsukimaru . . ." Kaitlyn whispered, tears in her eyes. She remembered the last words he'd spoken before the explosion.

_"I love you."_

"I love you, too," Kaitlyn whispered.

* * *

Elsewhere, four armored figures stalked toward a desolated field. They were the Kirai, and they had survived the destruction of their mecha through a last-second ejection.

"Is this the place?" Yuna asked.

"Yes, it is," Kanika replied. "Once we break the seal, we will be able to unleash the wrath of our fallen warriors on the Earth."

The four Kirai stood at four points and fired warp-blasts that connected to form four corners of a star. Kanika moved to a fifth point and fired the blast that completed the five-pointed star. A ring of black energy encircled the star, and then the star itself began to glow black.

"Yes, perfect," Kokure said.

"But it needs one more thing," Kanika replied. "A tribute." She summoned her Kiraihime Rapier.

"Sister?" Kokure asked.

Kanika's only response was to attack Kokure and her two lieutenants at blurring speed. She slashed them until they fell upon the black star, their blood pooling inside it.

"Sister . . . why?" Kokure asked weakly, extending a hand to her. However, she was too weak from blood loss and her hand fell, signifying the end of her life.

Xaran and Yuna powered down from their armored states. For the first time, Xaran's true face was revealed. He was a handsome young man with silver hair, the only thing detracting from his attractiveness being the scar on his cheek.

Kanika just smiled as black energy exploded from the star.

"It has begun."

* * *

Back at the Neji Chamber, the Rangers were reeling from their shocking loss.

"I can't believe it," Darien said. "I can't believe he's dead."

"It's hard to accept," Kieran said, "but we have to. There's no way for anyone to survive inside a Zord that's been blown to atoms."

"Shit!" Faith exclaimed. "What the hell was he thinking, pulling a stunt like that!"

"It was no stunt, Faith," Liam replied. "He was trying to protect us. Think about it: The Kirai set the self-destruct on their mecha for the sole purpose of taking us with them. If Tsukimaru hadn't done what he did, they'd have succeeded in killing all of us."

"The only good thing is that the Kirai are gone for good," Kaitlyn said.

"I sensed a presence in the vicinity of the explosion," Dimitria said. "However, the overwhelming evil presence I felt prevented me from discerning who or what it was."

"Evil presence?" Kieran asked.

The Neji Chamber's screen flared to life, with Kanika's image.

"Kanika!" Darien exclaimed. "She's supposed to be dead, along with her buddies!"

"Surprised I'm still here, Rangers?" Kanika asked mockingly. At the same time, her image could be seen on every television set and public television screen in the world, regardless of whether or not they had been on or what they were showing previously. "This message is for the leaders of Earth's governments. I am Kanika, the Kirai no Hime, Princess of Kirai. From this moment forward, your planet is no longer yours. It belongs to the Kirai! You have until dawn to officially surrender control of this planet to me, or my army of fallen warriors," the image briefly shifted to a massive array of armored warriors, "will overrun your planet and I will take that control by force." She smirked before continuing.

"Also, I require that the Psycho Rangers surrender to me at dawn as well. If they do not, then they will get front-row seats to the destruction of their precious city, and the inhabitants will always know that it's all their fault."

The image vanished.

"Where did that army come from?" Faith asked.

"The Seal of Darkness kept the Nightmare Chasm, which contained the essence of evil warriors of generations past, closed," Dimitria replied. "However, Kanika has broken the seal and the warriors have arisen once again under her command."

"If she survived . . . then that means Tsukimaru gave up his own life for nothing," Kaitlyn stated, rage in her voice and expression. "I will not let that be true. We'll defeat Kanika, if we have to give our own lives to do it!"

"We very well might," Kieran said. He paused, in deep thought. "We have to tell them."

"Tell who?" Liam asked.

"Our parents," Kieran replied. "I don't want to die with secrets between us."

"My mother's better off not knowing," Darien spat. "She disapproves of me enough as it is."

"I'm with Kieran," Liam said. "I don't want to go to my grave with this secret hanging over my head."

"My mother's always been there for me," Kaitlyn said, "and she's always been my closest confidant, the one I could always go to about anything."

"As much as my parents get on my nerves, I wouldn't like them to spend the rest of their lives bitching about how rotten they are because I couldn't come to them about this," Faith conceded.

"Fine," Darien sighed. "I guess I'm outnumbered."

"Consider what you are about to do carefully," Dimitria advised. "You are about to break the most binding tenet of your Ranger status."

"We've thought about it, Dimitria," Kieran said. "And we've decided. We're going to tell them."

"If you must do so, Rangers," Dimitria conceded.

* * *

At only an hour before dawn, the Rangers' parents received a message telling them to go to the local park. They didn't understand why, but something compelled them to go.

So, they were assembled by twenty minutes to dawn. Kieran's mother and father, Darien's mother, Liam's parents, Kaitlyn's mother, and Faith's parents and brother were together. Also, the parents of Liam's girlfriend Sophia, as well as Sophia herself, were present.

"Someone sent you a message, too?" Mrs. Kyle (Darien's mother) asked.

"Yeah," Mr. Grayson (Kieran's father) replied.

"Aw, man, this is boring," Richie said. "I wanna go home and sleep."

"It's probably very important," Mrs. Blackwell (Kaitlyn's mother) said.

"It's probably just some idiot's idea of a joke," Mr. Darkchilde (Faith's father) said.

"It's not a joke . . . Dad," a twisted mechanical yet familiar voice said.

Psycho Pink stood in front of him. Next to her were Blue, Red, Black, and Yellow.

"Psycho Rangers?" Mr. O'Connor (Liam's father) wondered.

"Yes, we're the Psycho Rangers," Psycho Blue confirmed.

"Why did you call us here?" Mrs. Kyle asked, sounding more annoyed than anything else.

"Always annoyed with me," Psycho Black said, resigned annoyance in his voice. "Oh, well."

"We called you here to tell you a secret," Psycho Red replied. "Specifically, the secrets we've kept from all of you since this madness started."

"What secrets?" Mrs. Blackwell asked.

"This," Psycho Yellow replied, removing her helmet and shaking her hair loose, revealing Kaitlyn's face in the process. "Hi, Mom."

The other Psycho Rangers removed their helmets as well, showing their faces.

"Faith?" Mr. Darkchilde exclaimed. "_You're_ Psycho Pink?"

Mrs. Darkchilde looked ready to faint.

Richie exclaimed, "My sister's a Power Ranger! Cool! Wait until I tell all my friends! They'll be so jealous!"

"That is the one thing you _can't_ do, Richie," Faith said. "And it's _Psycho_ Ranger, not _Power_ Ranger."

"So that's what you've been up to all this time!" Mrs. Kyle exclaimed. "I just thought you were off getting high with your punk friends, but this is even worse!"

"You don't get it, do you?" Darien replied. "We're trying to save this planet from getting its life force sucked out by that crazy woman you saw on TV!"

"So that's why I haven't seen as much of you lately," Sophia said to Liam. She smiled slightly. "Blue always was my favorite color."

"This is insane!" Mr. Darkchilde exclaimed. "What possessed you to do this, Faith?"

"Try saving the world," Faith replied.

"We were chosen, the five of us," Kieran explained, "to hold the essence and powers of the Psycho Rangers. We're using that power to defend this planet from Kanika."

"Kaitlyn, sweetheart, couldn't someone else have been picked to do this?" Mrs. Blackwell asked.

"We have to do this," Kaitlyn replied. "You didn't see what the Kirai have done, what they're capable of doing, what they plan to do. We have no choice. We just have to stop them."

"You know, son," Mr. Grayson said, "I'm torn between being really proud of you and being really mad at you for not telling us."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Kieran replied. "I couldn't tell you."

"And why couldn't you kids tell us?" Mrs. Darkchilde asked. "This isn't the kind of work kids should be doing. Why couldn't the military take care of it?"

Faith burst out into laughter, which died down to snickers at her mother's glance. "Sorry, but that was funny. It'll take centuries for the military to come up with the weaponry needed to take down the Kirai. We're the only ones who can stop them."

"Well, what if I don't want you to be one?" Mrs. Darkchilde asked.

"Excuse me, Mom, but the whole world doesn't run on your say-so!" Faith yelled. "We're talking about the fate of the world! And you're bitching about what _you_ want!"

"Amen," Darien muttered.

"What was that, young man?" Mrs. Kyle asked.

"I'm sick of it, Mom," Darien confessed. "I'm sick of you always bagging on me because I'm not the perfect, clean-cut kid you wanted. I can only be who _I_ am, not who you want me to be! My friends and I have spent the past several months defending this city from the Kirai, and you're still disappointed!"

"I refuse to listen to this," Mrs. Kyle declared angrily.

"Tough luck!" Darien snapped back. "You're going to have to deal with it. The only reason we bothered telling you at all was because we're probably going to die doing this!"

"You're going to die?" Sophia's mother asked. She'd always liked Liam, kind and caring young man that he was, and the thought of him dying was distressing.

"Die?" Sophia asked. "Liam?"

"Yeah, Sophia," Liam confirmed sadly. "When we go into this fight, we might not make it out alive."

"Don't talk like that, Liam," Sophia said. "You're going to make it out alive."

"How do you know?" Liam asked.

"Because I have faith in you, Liam," Sophia replied. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Sophia," Liam said. They kissed, and Liam wrapped his arms around her, his gauntleted hands entwining in her hair.

"You see that?" Mrs. Grayson asked. "If that girl can have faith in Liam, then we need to have faith in our children as well." She looked to the other parents. "I know this isn't what you wanted for your children. I know my husband and I didn't want this for Kieran, but whoever chose them probably had good reasons to do so, despite whatever persisting ideas you might have about them. Now is the time to rally behind them, instead of continuing to nag at them because we don't like what we're doing." She looked up at the sky. "It's almost dawn now. When dawn arrives, our children will have to go out there and fight to stop that horrible woman from desecrating our planet. We have to believe in them."

For a few minutes, the parents of the Rangers considered Mrs. Grayson's words.

Finally, Mrs. Kyle spoke. "I don't like this but sometimes, people have to do things they don't like, just because it's the right thing to do. And I know that you're doing the right thing, Darien. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom," Darien replied, not being sarcastic for once.

"Now go out there and save the world," Mrs. Kyle admonished.

"The same goes for you, too," Mr. Darkchilde said to Faith.

"Go get her!" Richie exclaimed.

"I will," Faith replied. She ruffled Richie's hair. "And don't tell anyone I'm Psycho Pink."

"I won't," Richie conceded.

Liam and Sophia finally broke their kiss. "Come back to me, Liam," Sophia said.

"I will, Sophia," Liam replied. He gave her one last kiss, and then backed away.

"Good luck, kids," Mrs. Blackwell said.

The Psycho Rangers put their helmets back on and ran away at super-speed. They arrived at the metropolitan area of the city.

* * *

"Just one more minute until dawn," Psycho Pink said.

They waited out the minute, and when the sun rose at last, Kanika's image appeared on the public television screens and TV screens all over the world.

"Have you surrendered yet?" Kanika asked.

There was a pause, during which an incensed expression made its way to her face. "You mean you're not going to turn this planet over to me?" she asked.

"No, we will not," the Japanese prime minister's voice could be heard saying. "Do whatever you wish to us; we shall never capitulate to your demands."

"Then prepare to have this planet torn from your hands!" Kanika replied.

The swarm of fallen warriors began to descend upon the city, heading right for the Psycho Rangers.

"Let's do this," Psycho Red said.

The Psycho Rangers summoned their weapons and charged into battle, fighting their way through the multitude of fallen warriors.

"Psycho Sword, Phantom Fire Blade!" Psycho Red commanded, swinging his sword in such a way that it sent a fiery arc through the fallen warriors, reducing them to ashes.

"Vulgar Earth Shaking!" Psycho Black commanded, sending a shockwave through the ground, knocking down several warriors.

"Psycho Axe, Bizarre Ice Spin!" Psycho Blue shouted, spinning with his Psycho Axe at super-speed, slashing every fallen warrior that was in his path.

Psycho Yellow made a running jump onto a car and somersaulted backward, firing bolts of green lightning at the fallen warriors.

Psycho Pink was firing energy arrows out of her bow, and her deadly aim spared no one.

Psycho Red stabbed his sword into the ground and sent waves of emerald electricity through the ground, striking down all the fallen warriors in his path.

"Vulgar Earth Rising!" Psycho Black shouted, sending another shockwave into the ground but this time, spikes rose from the ground upon the shockwave reaching its targets.

Unfortunately, Blue got his Axe kicked out of his hand. He went after it, but another warrior intercepted him and kicked him into a car.

Yellow had drawn her sling and was firing it like nobody's business. Unfortunately, she also lost her weapon at the hands of a fallen warrior. She then fought barehanded, striking with green and gold lightning and her own fists and feet, utilizing her skills and powers to deadly effect.

However, even with those taken out by the five Rangers, the fallen warriors were still far more numerous. Soon, each one found him- or herself surrounded.

A warrior raised his sword, preparing to bring it down and slay Psycho Yellow. However, he was interrupted by a warped-air blade that pierced him through his chest, killing him instantly. His body disintegrated into nothingness.

Blasts and blades of warped air flew everywhere, killing fallen warriors and forcing them away from the Psychos.

"What the . . . ?" Psycho Blue wondered.

"Miss me?" a familiar voice asked.

The Psychos looked and saw a longhaired figure stalk toward them. On closer inspection, they saw that his hair was so long that it reached past his knees and that it was black with violet highlights, not to mention that some of it hung in his eyes. He was wearing only a pair of torn-up black pants and the rags of a gray shirt hung from the waist. He looked up with blazing golden eyes.

"Tsukimaru!" Psycho Yellow shouted, joyful and surprised. "I thought you were . . ."

"The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated, my love," Tsukimaru replied. "No time to talk now." He dashed forward at warping speeds, fighting through the fallen warriors.

Their spirits renewed by Tsukimaru's return, the Psycho Rangers resumed fighting as well. Psycho Blue somersaulted off a car with his axe spinning in the air, shooting crescents of ice energy. He caught the axe upon landing and slashed the warriors in his path with it.

Psycho Black stabbed his rod into the ground and began kicking his opponents in a circle as he rotated on it.

Psycho Yellow was doing all sorts of acrobatics as she fought the warriors in her path. While doing a sideways somersault, she fired a bolt of green lightning at several warriors.

Psycho Pink summoned a storm of rose petals, which exploded upon contact with the warriors.

Psycho Red kicked several opponents and then leaped onto a skyscraper and shouted, "Come and get me!"

A warrior took him up on his challenge and jumped up after him. As he got halfway up, Psycho Red leaped off the building and kicked the warrior, slashing him repeatedly with a green lightning-charged Psycho Sword.

Very soon, the fallen warriors were defeated.

"De-Fusion!" the Psychos shouted, demorphing. They then proceeded to surround Tsukimaru.

* * *

"Man, are we glad to see you," Darien said.

"Yeah, we thought we were goners for sure," Kieran said.

"Uh-huh," Faith agreed.

Liam said nothing. Neither did Kaitlyn. Then she surprised herself and the other Rangers by practically tackling Tsukimaru in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alive," she said in hushed tones.

"I am, too," Tsukimaru replied, stroking her hair gently.

"How'd you survive?" Liam asked, finally finding his voice.

"The Eclipse Winger ejected me at the last second," Tsukimaru replied. "However, it didn't eject me far enough away to avoid getting caught in the shockwave of the explosion, which is how I account for the sorry state of my clothes."

"Oh, well," a cruel feminine voice said. "Guess that means I can kill all six of you at once."

The six Rangers turned to the sound of the voice and saw Kanika, smiling evilly at them.

"You!" Tsukimaru exclaimed, rage in his voice.

"What is it, Tsukimaru?" Kaitlyn asked.

"You wanna know how Kanika opened the Nightmare Chasm?" Tsukimaru replied. "She sacrificed Yuna, Xaran, and her own sister Kokure!"

"Shit," Faith said. "I knew you Kirai were evil, but I didn't think you'd go that far."

Kanika just smirked. "It matters not. You may have defeated my army, but there's no way you're beating me."

"Really?" Kieran retorted. "Ready?"

The other five Rangers nodded.

"Psycho Spirit Fusion!" the five Psycho Rangers yelled, inserting the key-loops into their morphers.

"Twisted Aura Exchange!" Tsukimaru yelled, inserting the golden key into his Auramorpher.

Fire surged around Kieran and appeared to consume him, dissipating to reveal Psycho Red.

The earth itself exploded beneath Darien and died down to reveal Psycho Black.

Mist, snow, and hailstones swirled around Liam, obscuring him and then dissipating to reveal Psycho Blue.

Lightning struck around Kaitlyn, creating flashes so bright as to momentarily obscure her, only to fade to reveal Psycho Yellow.

Rose petals swirled around Faith so fast as to block all sight of her, and when they swirled away from her, Psycho Pink was revealed.

A cyclone raged with Tsukimaru in its eye though he couldn't be seen through the raging winds, and then it died down to reveal Psycho Silver.

"Red!"

"Black!"

"Blue!"

"Yellow!"

"Pink!"

"Silver!"

"Psycho Rangers!" all six shouted, doing battle poses, with their colors exploding in the air behind them.

"Cute," Kanika sneered. She leaped into the air in a whirling aerial cartwheel, kicking Blue and Pink. Black and Yellow attacked, but Kanika flipped out of the way of their attack and fired blasts of warped air at them, sending them both flying into a nearby van. Then she landed and turned her fury on Red, firing a powerful burst of warped air at him that ran through him like a knife. He stood there for a moment or two before slumping to his knees and landing a prostrate position.

"Now for you, traitor," Kanika said, smiling cruelly.

"Psycho Blazer!" Silver shouted, summoning the gun-blade combo weapon that was his trademark.

Kanika drew her rapier and then she and Silver fought furiously at blurring/warping speeds. Silver leaped onto the roof of a car and Kanika jumped on after him. Their blades clashed there, but that wasn't where the fight ended. They were jumping all over the city, moving at super-speed. Finally, they landed at the field where Kanika had viciously murdered Kokure, Yuna, and Xaran.

"How fitting," Silver said. "This is where you killed Kokure, Yuna, and Xaran and this is where you plan to kill me."

"Smart boy," Kanika replied and slashed him viciously. The force of the strike sent him spinning as he flew through the air. He landed hard on the ground and warping silver light consumed him before he painfully force-demorphed, his Auramorpher fused.

"Goodbye, traitor," she said, raising her rapier to bring it down for a fatal strike. Suddenly, she found her Kiraihime Rapier blocked by a familiar black blade.

"I don't think so," Psycho Red hissed before kicking Kanika. The other Psychos raced up to join him, with Yellow breaking away to Tsukimaru.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'll live," Tsukimaru replied.

Yellow extended her hand and Tsukimaru took it, rising up from the ground.

"Fine, I'll take you in his place!" Kanika yelled, firing a vicious blast of warped air at Psycho Blue. He flew back and landed hard, a warping blue glow around him before he force-demorphed, his Psycho Morpher fused.

It was little more than a repeated process after that. Each of the remaining Rangers would fight Kanika, and Kanika would reply with a vicious pounding that left them force-demorphed and with fused morphers.

Finally, it was just Red and Kanika. The two warriors charged at each other and began fighting.

"Give up," Kanika ordered, pushing her own blade against Red's.

"Never," Red replied, pushing back.

"Then die," Kanika said, giving him a brutal slash with her rapier. The slash was powerful enough to force him out of morphed form and leave his morpher fused like the others'.

"Six powerless Rangers," Kanika purred, "just ripe for the slaughter. Who shall I kill first?"

The six Rangers got up and dog-piled her. Unfortunately, that wasn't a really wise strategy as Kanika simply threw them off her telekinetically.

"You couldn't beat me when you were morphed," she sneered. "So what makes you think you can beat me as you are now?"

"Because we have something you don't," Kieran replied. "We fight for the people we love, not for selfish greed and power lust!" He shifted into his post-morphing pose. "Phantom Fire!"

Darien shifted into his post-morphing pose as well. "Vulgar Earth!"

"Bizarre Ice!" Liam shouted.

"Sofia Lightning!" Kaitlyn shouted.

"Jealous Rose!" Faith shouted.

"Eclipse Wind!" Tsukimaru shouted.

"Psycho Spirit Powers!" the six Rangers shouted, channeling their energies and firing them right at Kanika, blasting her back.

"No . . . I cannot will not be defeated!" she shouted.

"Too late," Faith said. "You just were."

Behind Kanika, the Nightmare Chasm opened and the Rangers blasted her into it.

* * *

The Rangers returned to the Neji Chamber on foot, as their morphers were no longer working and thus they couldn't teleport.

"Congratulations, Rangers," Dimitria said. "You have done well."

"So what now?" Darien asked.

"We tell the Kirai that this planet's off-limits," Tsukimaru replied. He went to the communications console and opened a link to the Kirai.

The image of the Kiraioh, the King of Kirai, appeared. He was a strikingly handsome man, with crimson hair and golden eyes.

"Tsukimaru, how have you been?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You failed," Tsukimaru replied. "We've defeated your daughters and stopped the invasion of this planet. Here's a warning: Send anyone else here and I can guarantee you that they will never come back."

He cut off the link.

"All right, I get the feeling that he's peeved," Faith said.

"'Peeved' is the least of it," Tsukimaru said. "Don't worry; I don't expect him to come here. If he does, though, we'll be ready."

"In the meantime," Dimitria said, "it is time for you to surrender your Ranger powers. As your services as Rangers are no longer needed, you can resume your normal lives."

"What about the Psycho Ranger spirits?" Kaitlyn asked. "Are they going to return to the Spirit World?"

"No," Dimitria replied. "Zordon decided that since the Psycho Rangers have redeemed themselves, they deserve a second chance."

The main five Rangers' morphers glowed and then floated off their wrists. The two parts of each morpher melded together in a bright glow that faded to reveal human versions of the Psycho Rangers. Red was now a brown-haired young man with hazel eyes. Black was a dark-haired Asian with dark brown eyes. Blue was platinum blond with ice-blue eyes. Yellow was a lovely brunette and Pink was a Native American girl with lustrous black hair and shining green eyes.

"Wow," Red said.

"This is nice," Black said.

"Very," Blue agreed.

Yellow checked herself out in a hand mirror. "Damn, am I gorgeous or what?"

"Quit being such a narcissist," Pink replied.

Tsukimaru removed his Auramorpher from his wrist and laid it down on the console next to his key. "From this point forward, Tsukimaru is dead and Terry Haller lives."

Beautiful white light began to swirl around Dimitria.

"Dimitria?" Faith asked. "What's happening?"

"I must depart this planet," Dimitria replied. "Since you are no longer needed as Rangers, I am no longer needed as your mentor. I am proud of you all for what you've done on behalf of this world. Farewell. May we meet again someday."

As she said those words, she floated into the sky and vanished from sight.

"Goodbye . . . Dimitria," Faith said.

* * *

Over the following year, life went back to normal for the former Rangers. Their counterparts had gone on to college and established lives for themselves. Kevin (Red) was majoring in computer science. T.K. (Black) had taken an interest in becoming an artist and was doing quite well for himself. Stefan (Blue) was majoring in political science. Gabrielle (Yellow) had joined Kaitlyn in Gold Thunder and now she and Kaitlyn were the lead vocalists of the band. Speaking of the band, they had decided to accept Kai Asaji's offer and had become quite famous over the year, not to mention very popular, unless the triple-platinum sales of their debut album "Electric" were misleading. Ana (Pink) had decided to take a year off from college to discover herself and was traveling around the world for that very purpose.

As for the Rangers themselves, Kieran had gone on to martial-arts competitions all over the country, often winning. Darien mended his relationship with his mother and went on to his senior year with great enthusiasm. Liam started competing in winter sports and had become an almost-overnight sensation. Faith hadn't changed very much, but her experience with and as Psycho Pink had given her greater perspective. As for Terry Haller, formerly known as Tsukimaru, he went on to college and he and Kaitlyn frequently communicated with each other. Whenever they could, they met up in whatever city Kaitlyn happened to be in at the time and went out together.

In fact, whenever the former Rangers could, they hung out together to have fun or to reminisce about their Ranger days. Even their Psycho counterparts, with the exception of the traveling Ana, joined up with them. However, no matter what happened, they would always remember the adventures, the tears, and the joys they'd shared as Rangers.

End Psycho Matrix

End Notes: So that's it for Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix. I hope you liked it. I am considering a sequel to this story, one in which the Psycho Rangers team up with the Space Rangers. That'll probably be tension-filled, considering that the Psychos repeatedly tried to kill the Space Rangers and were in fact created for that purpose.


End file.
